Thirteen North Koreans working at the same restaurant in a foreign country have defected to South Korea, Seoul officials said.

NORTH Korea released photographs of leader Kim Jong Il yesterday amid intense speculation over the health of the communist country’s absolute ruler.

North Korea will make an “important announcement” tomorrow amid speculation over the health of its leader Kim Jong Il, a Japanese newspaper reported today.

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.

North Korea today accepted a South Korean proposal to resume talks in Seoul next week for the first time since official contacts broke off in March.