Tourist shot dead by N Korean troops

SEOUL: A North Korean soldier on Friday shot dead a South Korean housewife who strayed into a restricted military area during a morning stroll at a resort in the North, officials said.

Seoul called the incident “deeply regrettable” and suspended tours to the Mount Kumgang resort, one of only two sites in the hardline communist state which are open to South Korean visitors. President Lee Myung-Bak ordered his aides to conduct a thorough probe and urged North Korea to fully cooperate, according to his spokesman. But despite being informed of the killing, he went ahead on Friday with a speech offering to hold talks with the North to end months of hostility between the two governments. “The speech at the National Assembly presented an overall direction in which we will lead inter-Korean relations,” a presidential aide said, adding that “some unexpected incidents may always happen in inter-Korean relations.”

The military also appeared to be playing down the incident. “No military steps are being taken...as this affair is being handled by the unification ministry,” a defence ministry spokesman said.

The shooting was the first since tours to the resort, developed by the South as a symbol of reconciliation, began in 1998.