Ashaab

N Korea steps up row with South

The resort has attracted a million South Korean visitors since 1998

North Korea has said it will expel South Korean workers from a mountain resort, in a further sign of worsening relations between the two countries.

The move comes after a South Korean tourist was shot dead last month by a soldier at Mount Kumgang, a special tourist zone in the North.

Seoul questioned the account given by Pyongyang - which said the tourist had strayed into a military zone.

The South has suspended tours to the resort pending an inquiry.

A military statement carried by North Korean media said the government would expel all South Koreans deemed "unnecessary" from the resort.

Although visits by tourists have been suspended, more than 260 southerners are working on Mount Kumgang - which had been regarded as one of the symbols of reconciliation between the two Koreas.

The North also said it would respond to "even the slightest hostile actions" in the resort and its military areas.

The killing on 11 July overshadowed an announcement by Lee Myung-bak that he wanted to re-open the stalled dialogue with North Korea.

Mr Lee's decision to proceed with diplomatic overtures to North Korea despite the shooting has drawn criticism in the South Korean media.

The Mount Kumgang resort has attracted more than one million South Korean visitors since 1998.

Access to the special tourism zone is tightly controlled, and its border heavily policed.