North Korea today expressed regret over its recent release of dam water that sparked flooding downstream blamed for six South Korean deaths.

North Korea fired five short-range missiles off its east coast today, a news report said, even as South Korea proposed working-level talks with its communist neighbour.

SOUTH KOREA exchanged machine gun fire with communist North Korea yesterday in a rare incident that could raise the diplomatic stakes just as Pyongyang appears set to return to talks on its nuclear ambitions.