South Korea has offered its condolences to North Korea’s people as they mourn the death of long-time ruler Kim Jong Il.

North Korea’s release of a South Korean worker it had detained for months signals an attempt to improve ties with Seoul and Washington amid tensions over the regime’s nuclear weapons programme, analysts said.

The death of a South Korean tourist shot by a North Korean soldier while visiting the Communist nation overshadowed efforts by Seoul’s new president to reach out and rekindle stalled reconciliation talks.

A North Korean soldier fatally shot a South Korean tourist yesterday at a mountain resort in the communist North, prompting the South to suspend the high-profile tour program, just as its new president sought to rekindle strained ties between the two.

A North Korean soldier fatally shot a South Korean tourist today at a mountain resort in the communist nation, prompting the South to suspend the high-profile tourism programme just as its new president sought to rekindle strained ties between the divided countries.