Killing hinders attempts to restore Korean ties

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.

The unprecedented shooting of the 53-year-old woman at the Diamond Mountain resort – one of the few areas in the reclusive country open to foreigners – was made public after new President Lee Myung-bak delivered a nationwide address calling for restored contacts between the two Koreas, which have been on hold since he took office in February.