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DPRK regrets over deadly dam release

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-14 14:06

SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday expressed regrets on its abrupt release of dam water on September 6, the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Unification Ministry said.

The DPRK's expression came during a meeting held between the two Koreas on river flood prevention at the DPRK's border city of Kaesong, the ministry said.

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"Literally speaking, the North (DPRK) expressed regrets and condolences," an official from the ROK's Unification Ministry said at a background briefing.

"But in the general context, we can think of it as an apology by the country with regard to this incident," he added.

The working-level meeting between the two sides kicked off in the morning of Wednesday, a day after Pyongyang accepted Seoul's proposal to hold government-level talks on related issues.

Starting at 11:00 local time (0200 GMT), the morning session lasted one and a half hours, ending for a recess.

On September 6, the DPRK's abrupt discharge of its dam water led to death of six ROK citizens who had been camping near the Imjin River.

Although the ROK asked for an apology for the discharge, the DPRK kept saying it was forced to open the floodgates to lower the water level, which Seoul did not consider "sufficient."