SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) yesterday expressed regret that its release of water into a river that flows across a military border with the Republic of Korea (ROK) killed six campers downstream last month.

Pyongyang also promised to provide warnings ahead of large-scale water releases at inter-Korean talks aimed at preventing flooding on the Imjin River, which flows between the two states and is heavily dammed by the DPRK.

The DPRK agreed to the talks after it fired five short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday, in a move seen by analysts as an attempt to boost its bargaining position ahead of expected talks on ending its nuclear weapons program.