Rice urges NKorea to talk to SKorea on tourist death

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

PERTH, Australia (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged North Korea Thursday to take up Seoul's offer to engage in direct talks over the shooting death of a South Korean tourist in the communist state.

"I hope the DPRK will take up the invitation of South Korea to have direct talks concerning the tragic death of the South Korean tourist," Rice told reporters on the plane from Singapore to Perth, Australia.

"There needs to be an investigation of what happened but principally so that there can be steps taken so that tragedies like this don't happen again," Rice said.

A North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean housewife two weeks ago when she strayed into an off-limits military zone while on holiday at the North's Mount Kumgang resort....