SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea indicated Thursday it would reject South Korea's offer to hold a meeting to discuss joint pest control near ancient tombs in the isolated country.

   South Korea "has permanently lost qualifications to talk about the improvement of North-South relations," the North Korean Website Uriminzokkiri said, in an apparent anger over Seoul's negligent attitude toward the death of its leader Kim Jong-il in December.

   The move came two days after South Korea proposed holding working-level talks with North Korea later this month to discuss how to eradicate pests in forests near the ancient tombs, which also have historical significance to South Korea.

   The Complex of Koguryo tombs, located in the North's cities of Pyongyang and Nampo, consists of 30 individual tombs from the late period of the Koguryo Kingdom, which controlled the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and northeastern China for more than 700 years until 668 A.D.

   The relics, along with murals inside the tombs, became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the communist North in 2004, in recognition of their historical and aesthetic value.

   On Wednesday, the North told the South through a channel at their border village of Panmunjom that it has not received a reply from Pyongyang, according to South Korea.

   The North often releases its position through its state-run media outlets.

   Uriminzokkiri also accused South Korea of banning its political activists from meeting with their North Korean counterparts in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.

   The activists are members of a private umbrella organization that has called for implementation of the accord of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.

   South Korea's Unification Ministry said earlier this week that it would not allow them to meet with North Koreans. All South Koreans are required by law to get government approval prior to meeting with North Koreans or visiting the North.

   Still, three South Koreans said they would leave for Shenyang on Thursday for talks with North Koreans that would be held for two days through Friday, Lee Seung-hwan of the umbrella organization said at an airport ahead of departure.

   Lee and two other South Koreans could face fines or other punishment for any unauthorized meeting with North Koreans.

   entropy@yna.co.kr
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