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SKorea demands North apology for deadly flooding

North Korean defector Park Sang Hak, left, who fled to the South in 2000, and South Korean Choi Sung-yong, head of the Abductee's Family Union, tear papers printed with North Korean flags during a rally against North Korea's a sudden, deadly release of dam water, in front of Unification Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

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A South Korean conservative activist displays a placard with defaced portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during a rally against North Korea's a sudden, deadly release of dam water, in front of the National Intelligence Service in Seongnam, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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South Korean conservative activists burn a North Korean flag during a rally against North Korea's a sudden, deadly release of dam water, in front of the National Intelligence Service in Seongnam, SouthKorea, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. The letters on the flag and pickets read: " Out (pro-North Korea) leftwingers and Demand an apology from North Korea over a sudden discharge of dam water." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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By HYUNG-JIN KIM, The Associated Press Updated 7:06 AM Tuesday, September 8, 2009

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea rejected North Korea's explanation for a sudden, deadly release of dam water, saying Tuesday that Pyongyang should clarify and apologize for flooding that left six South Koreans dead or missing.

The North said in its message Monday that it "urgently" had to release dammed water to a river flowing across the border between Saturday night and Sunday morning because the water level was too high. The release caused Imjin River's level to double Sunday, sweeping away six South Koreans camping and fishing near the border dividing the two Koreas.

"North Korea's message is not the level we can understand and we think it is very regrettable because it did not have any mention of our serious human casualties," Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters Tuesday.

Chun said South Korea wants "responsible North Korean authorities" to apologize and offer "sufficient" explanation on why it had to release such a large amount of water without notice.

South Korean officials have raised questions over North Korea's excuse, saying there had been little rain in areas north of Imjin River in the past week.

An estimated 40 million tons of water came from a new North Korean dam — one that some in the South had warned the North could use as a weapon.South Korea's Defense Ministry, however, said Monday there were no immediate signs the water release was meant as an attack.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said during a regular Cabinet meeting Tuesday that his heart was "aching because six innocent people were lost," according to a statement from his office.

Lee ordered officials to inspect the flooded area and work out how to prevent a recurrence. South Korean media said part of the blame must be put on a malfunctioning automatic warning system and officials' slow response to the river surge.

The North Korean message was unexpectedly quick, coming only about six hours after South Korea sent a message seeking explanation for the flooding. The North also said it would warn its neighbor of similar releases in the future, and Chun said South Korea would consider talks with the North to prevent such disasters from happening again.

North Korea and South Korea technically remain in a state of war, divided by a heavily militarized border, because their three-year conflict in the 1950s ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Relations blossomed under the "Sunshine Policy" espoused by two liberal South Korean administrations but went cold after the election of conservative President Lee Myung-bak 18 months ago.

Pyongyang recently reached out to Seoul again, agreeing to restart long-suspended joint economic projects and resume the reunions of families divided during the Korean War.

As part of anti-flooding efforts, South Korea has been building two dams in the area, scheduled to be completed by 2011 and 2012. On Monday, the Land Ministry said in a statement it will advance the construction of the first dam by one year in the wake of Sunday's flooding.

About 4,460 soldiers and rescue workers continued to search for the remaining three missing people Tuesday, local fire officer Kang Wan-sik said.

The body of a North Korean boy was also swept across the border in floodwaters Sunday. South Korea returned the body to the North on Tuesday, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.

Also Tuesday, a dozen civic activists staged an anti-North Korea rally in central Seoul, tearing paper North Korean flags and calling the flooding a "barbarian provocation" by the North.

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Associated Press Writer Jae-soon Chang and AP Television News reporter Si-young Lee contributed to this report.

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September 08, 2009 11:02 AM EDT

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