2nd LD) N. Korea must stop raising tension 'immediately': minister

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SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea called on North Korea Wednesday to
"immediately stop raising tension," as the communist state continued to pour
artillery fire into waters off the west coast of their divided peninsula.

The South's Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, however, said that inter-Korean
talks concerning a joint business park in the North, slated for Monday, would go
ahead as planned between the sides.
North Korea fired an estimated 30 shells Wednesday morning into waters north of
the Northern Limit Line that has served as a de facto maritime border with South
Korea for decades.
The communist country, which refuses to honor the line, fired another barrage of
shells in the afternoon just as Hyun made the speech calling for improved ties
between the divided countries.
The move, which prompted the South to fire cannons in response, "reflects a very
disappointing attitude on the part of North Korea," Hyun said at a forum in
Seoul. "Unnecessary acts raising tension must be stopped immediately."
"North Korea has recently shown conflicting attitudes, seeking both confrontation
and dialogue in inter-Korean relations. But the North must pursue the direction
of dialogue and cooperation," he said.
In a separate meeting with reporters, Hyun said the two sides will hold talks
next week as scheduled on ways to facilitate the operation of their joint complex
in the North Korean border town of Kaesong.
About 110 South Korean firms operate there employing 42,000 skilled North Korean
workers, producing labor-intensive goods such as garments and kitchenware.
North Korea has also offered talks recently on resuming cross-border tours that
had been suspended in 2008 after generating hard cash for the impoverished
country.
South Korea has accepted the proposal but suggested a later date than proposed
for the talk. But the South has yet to accept another North Korean proposal that
military officials of the two sides get together to discuss ways to lift border
restrictions slowing South Korean access and communications in and out of
Kaesong.
Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Jong-joo said earlier Wednesday that the
firing would be a factor when her government considers whether to agree to the
talks.
"Various factors will be examined, including the firing," she said in a briefing.
The South Korean military said hours later that it had delivered North Korea a
statement carrying its warning over the firing through a hotline between the two
sides.
South and North remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a
truce rather than a peace treaty.
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