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(2nd LD) N. Korea expresses regret over S. Korean tourist's death
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES more details throughout)
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Saturday that it regrets the death of a South Korean tourist shot by a North Korean solider this week, but turned down the South's proposals to send a fact-finding team to the shooting site.
"A South Korean who came to tour Mt. Kumgang was shot to death by a serviceman of the (North) Korean People's Army at around 4:50 a.m. on July 11. The DPRK feels regretful at this," the spokesman for the Guidance Bureau for the Comprehensive Development of Scenic Spots said in a statement reported by the (North) Korean Central News Agency.
DPRK, short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the official name of North Korea.
Park Wang-ja, a 53-year-old housewife, was taking a pre-dawn stroll on a beach near the Mount Geumgang resort before she was shot. North Korea claimed that the woman crossed deep into a fenced-off military area, but fled back toward her hotel when the soldier ordered her to halt for investigation.
Later in the day, the South Korean government called on the North to allow South Korean officials to visit the shooting site for an investigation.
The North, however, refused the South's proposal. "As the cause of the incident is very clear and the north side has already confirmed the scene of the incident together with personnel of the Hyundai side right after its occurrence, it cannot accept the south side's proposal for inspecting the area of the north side for investigation," the spokesman said.
The incident prompted Seoul to suspend the inter-Korean tour program since Saturday. The program was launched by Hyundai Asan Co., an affiliate of South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Group, in November 1998.
In response to the South's measures, the North called Seoul's decision to suspend the joint tourism program a "challenge" to the North.
"The south side authorities unilaterally announced that they would suspend the tour of Mt. Kumgang for the time being, a challenge to the north side," the spokesman added.
"The responsibility for the incident entirely rests with the south side," it said, adding that the South Korean tourist "trespassed on the area under the military control of the north side, going beyond the tourist zone."
The North also urged the South to apologize for the incident. "The south side should be held responsible for the incident, make clear apology to the north side and take measures against the recurrence of the similar incident," the spokesman said.
(END)
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