S. Korea demands tourist death answers

SEOUL, July 12 (UPI) -- South Korean officials say they are demanding more information from Pyongyang about the shooting death of a South Korean tourist by North Korean troops.

Pyongyang says the 53-year-old woman strayed from her official tour group and wandered into a restricted area near the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea, refusing to stop running when ordered to. South Korean officials, however, say they haven't received any responses from the communist regime on questions surrounding the incident, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Saturday.

"We're trying to send a telephone message related to fact-finding efforts to the North through liaison officers at the truce village of Panmunjom," Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the ministry, told Yonhap. "But the North is not reacting positively as of now."

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak expressed regret over the death and demanded co-operation from Pyongyang. Fellow tour members expressed skepticism the "frail" woman could be seen as a security threat.