(LEAD) N. Korea threatens to sever all ties with S. Korea

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, UPDATES throughout with details)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday that it would cut off all inter-Korean ties unless the conservative South Korean government withdraws its "hostile policy" towards Pyongyang.

"If the horde of traitors continue to mar our dignity despite continued
warnings, we will have no choice but to make a grave decision, including
across-the-board severance of North-South Korean ties," said the Rodong Sinmun,
published by the North's ruling Workers' Party, in a commentary carried by the
communist nation's broadcasters.
The newspaper unleashed a tirade against President Lee Myung-bak, who took
office in February on a pledge to pursue relations with North Korea on a
reciprocal basis, linking aid to denuclearization.
It argued that Lee was seeking confrontation and war with the North, "trampling
down" the two historic summit agreements between the Koreas.
The threats suggest North Korea might halt the only remaining tour operation for
South Koreans to the ancient city of Kaesong, just north of the border
separating the two countries.
Mount Geumgang on the North's eastern coast was opened to South Korean tourists
in 1988, but the tour program was indefinitely suspended after the killing of a
South Korean tourist traveling there in July.
Although North Korea has severed government-level exchanges under the Lee
administration, it has allowed civilian visits to Pyongyang and Kaesong.
The North's warnings, the strongest in recent months, came amid expectations that
its relations with the United States may improve following its removal from the
list of state sponsors of terrorism last weekend.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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