N. Korea unresponsive to S. Korea's bid to return body of presumed N. Korean

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea remains unresponsive to South Korea's move to send back the body of a presumed North Korean woman who was found near a border river in July, according to Seoul's unification ministry Monday.

At the 9 a.m. daily opening call via the inter-Korean liaison hotline, the North did not make any comment on the South's move to return the body Thursday through the truce village of Panmunjom, the ministry said.

"As we deemed our intent as being delivered to North Korea, we will wait for the North's response until Nov. 17," the ministry's spokesperson Cho Choong-hoon said at a press briefing.

The ministry attempted Friday to send a formal message to the North of its plan to send back the body, which was discovered near the Imjin River on July 23. But Pyongyang has not responded since then.

The woman was wearing a badge showing the portraits of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il when her body was found, the ministry said.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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