In another blow for inter-Korean ties, the two sides failed to agree on restarting a tourism project.

A statement from North Korean security ministries said Seoul's plots against the country had "recently gone beyond the danger line" and Pyongyang had a secret strike force for protection.

The communist North often claims that Seoul's conservative government is plotting against it.

"We have world-level ultra-modern striking force and means for protecting security which have neither yet been mentioned nor opened to the public in total," the ministries said in a statement on official media.

The North criticised efforts by the South's military to defend the disputed Yellow Sea border -- where the North fired artillery salvoes late last month -- and its "reckless" operations to destabilise the North.

It complained about "the daily escalating" scattering of propaganda leaflets by balloon, which were now penetrating deep into the country from border areas.

Despite the tough talk, the North has been pushing to revive business projects with the South since it was hit by tougher sanctions for its missile launches and nuclear test last year.

The two sides held talks Monday about a possible resumption of tours which previously earned the cash-strapped state tens of millions of dollars a year.

Seoul suspended the trips after soldiers in July 2008 shot dead a Seoul housewife who strayed into an off-limits military zone at the Mount Kumgang resort in the North.

South Korea's unification ministry demands safety guarantees before it restarts them.

But spokesman Chun Hae-Sung said Monday's meeting in the North Korean border town of Kaesong ended "without any significant agreement" after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's terms.

Chun said South Korea demanded that its officials conduct an on-site probe into the shooting but "the North Korean side said it has already conducted sufficient investigations into the incident".

The South also demanded the North guarantee the safety of future tourists. The North said such steps were taken when Kim Jong-Il met last August with a South Korean businesswoman whose company runs the tours.

About 1.9 million visitors, mainly South Koreans, have visited the Seoul-funded Kumgang resort since it opened in 1998. Over a decade the tours earned the North a total of 487 million dollars.

The head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, Wang Jiarui, meanwhile met North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.

Wang also met communist party official Choe Thae-Bok to reaffirm the countries' friendship and exchange views "on other issues of common concern," Beijing's Xinhua news agency said.

The meetings came one day before Lynn Pascoe, top political adviser to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, was due in Pyongyang for a four-day visit.

China hosts the six-party nuclear talks which its ally North Korea quit last April, a month before staging a second nuclear test.

As conditions for returning to the nuclear forum, the North wants a US agreement to hold formal peace talks and a lifting of UN sanctions.

In an apparent conciliatory gesture to Washington, Pyongyang on Saturday freed a US missionary who had crossed the border last December 25 on a lone campaign to publicise rights abuses.

earlier related report
Envoys expected to press N.Korea on nuclear talks
Seoul (AFP) Feb 8, 2010 - A senior Chinese official trying to restart stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations held more talks in North Korea Monday, as Pyongyang accused Seoul of plotting to topple its regime.

The visit by Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, comes shortly before UN chief Ban Ki-moon's top political adviser Lynn Pascoe is due in Pyongyang.

South Korean media forecast that Wang, who has met leader Kim Jong-Il several times in the past, would hold another meeting with him later Monday on the last full day of what Beijing calls a "goodwill" visit.

China hosts the six-party nuclear talks which its ally North Korea quit last April, a month before staging a second nuclear test.

Beijing's Xinhua news agency said Wang Monday met Choe Thae-Bok, a senior official of the North's ruling communist party. They reaffirmed their friendship and "exchanged views on other issues of common concern," it said.

As conditions for returning to the nuclear forum, the North wants Washington to agree to hold formal peace talks and seeks a lifting of United Nations sanctions.

In an apparent conciliatory gesture to Washington, Pyongyang on Saturday freed a US missionary who had crossed the border last December 25 on a lone campaign to publicise its rights abuses.

The message to Seoul was less conciliatory.

A statement from two North Korean security ministries said Pyongyang has a secret strike force to counter what it called Seoul's plots.

"We have world-level ultra-modern striking force and means for protecting security which have neither yet been mentioned nor opened to the public in total," the statement on official media said without elaborating.

The North, which often alleges such plots, cited Seoul's demands that Pyongyang undertakes to scrap nuclear weapons before any broader settlement of differences.

The ministries also criticised efforts by the South's military to defend the disputed Yellow Sea border -- where the North fired artillery late last month -- and "reckless" operations to destabilise the North.

They complained about "the daily escalating" scattering of propaganda leaflets by balloon, which were now penetrating deep into the country from border areas.

Despite the tough talk, the North has been pushing to revive business projects with the South since it was hit by tougher sanctions for its missile launches and nuclear test last year.

The two sides held talks Monday about a possible resumption of tours which earned the cash-strapped state tens of millions of dollars a year before they were suspended.

South Korea's unification ministry said it would demand safety guarantees before it restarts tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort.

Seoul suspended the trips after soldiers in July 2008 shot dead a Seoul housewife who strayed into an off-limits military zone there.

The North has long been hostile to the South's conservative government, which linked major aid to progress in denuclearisation. It blamed Seoul for the tourist's death and refused to let it hold an on-site investigation.

The unification ministry said the North must explain during Monday's talks in Kaesong how the tragedy happened and must adopt measures to prevent any recurrence.

About 1.9 million visitors, mainly South Koreans, have visited the Seoul-funded Kumgang resort since it opened in 1998. Over a decade the tours earned the North a total of 487 million dollars.

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