In a sign of tense inter-Korean relations, North Korea Thursday expelled most of Korean officials from the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The turnaround of the North's stance came in an apparent protest over the current Lee Myung-bak administration's tough policy in dealing with the reclusive nation. President Lee has said his government would pursue pragmatic policies by linking inter-Korean economic exchanges to the international efforts to resolve the lingering standoff over the North's nuclear development program. Lee's stance is in stark contrast with the previous two governments which had been seeking the reconciliatory ``sunshine policy'' engaging North Korea. Officials said Pyongyang pulled out 11 of 13 South Korean officials working in the industrial complex near the border village of Panmunjom. Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong said there would be no progress in inter-Korean relations without the North's efforts toward denuclearization. Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said the North expelled the officials by raising the issue with the South Korean government's ``challenging'' attitude in addressing the inter-Korean economic exchanges.