South Korea ? A soldier fatally shot a South Korean tourist Friday at a resort in North Korea, prompting the South to suspend a high-profile tourism program just as the president was seeking to repair strained ties with his communist neighbor.

The death of the 53-year-old woman, who the North said had ventured into a restricted military area during a pre-dawn stroll at a beach, followed a series of hostile North Korean moves against South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Since Lee assumed office in February with a tougher line on dealing with the North, the Pyongyang regime has expelled South Korean officials from joint economic projects, labeled Lee a “traitor” and warned of renewed fighting between the Koreas.