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N. Korea 'regrets' fatal naval skirmish

North and South Korea have a history of clashes, this one in 1999
North and South Korea have a history of clashes, this one in 1999  


Staff and wires

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has changed its tack over a fatal naval clash last month, expressing "regret" to its peninsular neighbor South Korea.

The message marks the first conciliatory tone from Pyongyang since the June 29 skirmish, and is only the third time North Korea has expressed remorse in recent memory in a long history of bombings, assassination attempts and other attacks on South Korea.

Seoul swiftly welcomed the gesture as "highly significant," particularly since public opinion towards the North is worsening, and ties between the Stalinist state and the United States are at a stalemate.

South Korea's unification ministry says the North is also proposing to resume working-level talks next month, in a swift change of tone one day after Pyongyang warned of more troubles over a disputed Yellow Sea border.

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"Feeling regretful for the unforeseen armed clash that occurred in the west sea recently, we are of the view that both sides should make joint efforts to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in future," the telephone message said.

Peace overtures

The statement on the worst conflict between the two in three years was sent to the South through a hotline at the truce village of Panmunjom on the heavily armed North-South frontier.

Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war because they never signed a peace treaty after their 1950-53 war, which killed millions on each side.

The announcement is a boost for South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who is a key proponent of engaging with the North, and has pursued his so-called "Sunshine Policy."

A landmark summit in June 2000 between the two Korean leaders led to a flurry of projects, including restoring railroad links and family exchanges.

But Pyongyang called off planned economic talks early in May, partly because of tension with the United States.

Few apologies

Thursday's move was a dramatic turnaround from North Korea's earlier brinkmanship on the clash, which the isolationist state blamed on the South.

Seoul protest
The naval skirmish has further frayed ties between the neighbors on the Korean peninsula  

Just on Wednesday, Pyongyang warned that naval clashes could break out with again unless the U.S.-led United Nations Command abolished what the North called an illegal border drawn in the Yellow Sea.

Pyongyang declared the border invalid in 1999, and since then a series of skirmishes have broken out between the two navies.

North Korea also suffered casualties in the latest navy battle, which killed five South Korean and wounded 19 others.

President Kim Dae-jung demanded an apology and the punishment of those responsible. The ruling party's candidate in the December election to choose Kim's successor declared this week that the "Sunshine Policy" of engagement had hit its limits.

The navy firefight was also cited by the United States as a reason why it had postponed plans to send a high-level envoy to Pyongyang to renew long-stalled dialogue.

Flurry of diplomacy

The attempt to revive inter-Korean dialogue with just six months left of Kim Dae-jung's tenure comes ahead of a flurry of diplomacy by other powers with interests in the peninsula.

South Korean navy soldiers carry the coffins of their dead colleagues during a memorial service in Seoul
South Korean navy soldiers carry the coffins of their dead colleagues during a memorial service in Seoul  

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is due in Seoul on Friday before heading to Pyongyang on July 28, while on August 2-3, China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan will visit Seoul.

Between those two high-level visits, North Korea's Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun is set to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, where it would be possible for him to meet with his Japanese and U.S. counterparts.

South Korea has invited the North's soccer team to play a friendly match in September and civic groups plan to celebrate Korea's August 15 Liberation Day together in Seoul.



 
 
 
 







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