North Korea test-fires five short-range missiles

North Korea test-fired five short-range missiles into the East Sea yesterday, a government official said.

The KN-02 surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 120 kilometers were seen to have been launched north of Wonsan on the North`s east coast, according to the official.

The North has declared a navigation ban in waters off its east and west coasts from Oct. 10-20, the official said.

The missile tests came hours after Seoul suggested working-level talks with Pyongyang to discuss ways to prevent river flooding across the border, which killed six South Koreans early last month, and humanitarian issues such as family reunions.

The South Korean government also seeks to set rules on the joint use of the Imjin River with the North.

"We delivered a letter through Panmunjeom suggesting working-level talks on Wednesday at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex on prevention of flooding from the Imjin River," Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.



"In addition to what we have demanded from the North (an official apology and an explanation for the unannounced release of water from its dam that caused the flood), ways to keep similar accidents from happening again will be discussed at the talks."

The letter was signed by South Korean Land and Transport Minister Chung Jong-hwan and addressed to Pak Song-nam, head of the North`s Ministry of Land and Environmental Conservation, Chun said.

The South Korean Red Cross also made a proposal yesterday to hold a working-level meeting with its North Korean counterpart on Friday at the North`s Mount Geumgang resort to discuss humanitarian issues, primarily reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Seoul seeks to make the family reunions a regular event, with the ultimate goal of allowing South Koreans to meet with their kin in the North at all times.

Also on Seoul`s agenda are the hundreds of South Korean prisoners of war and civilians held in the North.

It remains to be seen whether the two sides will discuss resuming rice and fertilizer aid to the North.

The South Korean government suspended shipments of rice and fertilizer to the North after conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office early last year.

Seoul recently said it has no plans to resume aid despite its oversupply of rice this year and the North`s indirect request for aid on the sidelines of family reunions late last month.

"We suggested discussing humanitarian issues and it would be inappropriate to make assumptions about individual issues," Chun said.

"The reunion of separated families is at the top of our agenda."

Under former liberal administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea had sent fertilizer to the North before or after holding family reunions.

Government-level talks between the two Koreas came to a halt since 2008 as the North refused dialogue in protest of President Lee`s hardline policy that links North Korean nuclear activities with inter-Korean ties.

The three rounds of working-level talks on the operation of the joint industrial enclave in Gaeseong between April and July have been the only government-level meetings .

(sophie@heraldm.com)



By Kim So-hyun