Seoul - North Korea said Wednesday that it regretted its release of water last month from a dam that resulted in the downstream deaths of six South Korean campers, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said. South Korea considered the statement of regret as an apology, a ministry spokesman said after a meeting of officials of both governments in the North Korean border town of Kaesong.
The presidential office in Seoul said it considered the North's statement, in which it also expressed condolences to the victims' families, as a "considerably positive signal" that showed Pyongyang's willingness to improve relations with its neighbour.
South Korea had demanded an apology from the North shortly after what Seoul said was unannounced release of 40 million tons of water on September 6 from a dam near the border. It caused a wave of water to rush down the Imjin River to South Korea and sweep away the six people.
The body of a North Korean boy who apparently was also killed in the flash flood was found across the border.
The deaths were among the reasons capitalist South Korea proposed Wednesday's meeting with its Stalinist neighbour, seeking to discuss measures to prevent the flooding of the Imjin.
North Korea had conducted previous unannounced dam releases, but September's was the first to claim human lives.
The incident occurred as the two countries were beginning a cautious rapprochement after months of tensions related to North Korea's second nuclear test, a series of missile launches and threats against the South.
On Monday, North Korea carried out its latest series of short-range missile tests after a weeks-long pause.
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said, however, that those tests would not impact the talks with Pyongyang.
The ministry official who spoke to reporters said North Korea told the South Wednesday that the dam release was unintentional.
"The North explained the relevant institution had no other choice but to urgently unleash the dam water to prevent bigger damage," the official said.
"Literally speaking, the North expressed regrets and condolences," the official added, "but in the general context, we think it's an apology by North Korea with regard to this incident."
The ministry said it would not release any other information on the talks until the South's delegation returned Wednesday to Seoul.
The two Koreas also planned to meet Friday to discuss further potential reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
The first of these reunions in two years took place late last month after a break caused by worsening ties between North Korea and South Korea's conservative government, which has taken a harder line against its neighbour than its liberal predecessors.
