South Korea expresses regret over N. Korean border threat, offers dialogue

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea expressed regret over North Korea's threat on Friday to scrap reconciliatory accords and nullify a western sea border, urging Pyongyang to agree to dialogue.

"Our government expresses deep regret," Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the
Unification Ministry handling North Korea affairs, said in a press conference.
"We urge North Korea to accept our call for dialgue as soon as possible."
In the highest warning yet since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office
11 months ago, North Korea said that it is scrapping all political and military
agreements with South Korea and declared a shaky sea border in the Yellow Sea
void.
The move revived Cold War era tensions and sharply raised the possibility of a
naval clash.
Pyongyang cut off dialogue with Seoul after Lee adopted a tougher stance on the
North's nuclear weapons program than his liberal predecessors.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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