ROK woman tourist shot dead at DPRK resort

SEOUL: A tourist from the Republic of Korea (ROK) was shot dead on Friday by a soldier from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a spokesman for the ROK's Unification Ministry said.

The shooting of the 53-year-old woman at the Diamond Mountain resort was reported just hours after ROK President Lee Myung-bak delivered a nationwide address calling for restored contacts between the two sides, which have been on hold since he took office in February.

The woman had been ordered to halt after entering a military area early on Friday at the resort and was running away when DPRK soldiers opened fire, ROK Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said, citing information given by Hyundai Asan, the ROK company that operates the resort.