NK proposes inter-Korean talks on possible Mt. Baekdu volcano

North Korea on Thursday proposed holding talks with South Korea on possible volcanic activities at its landmark mountain, Seoul's Unification Ministry said, amid reports of a looming eruption there that could affect the entire peninsula.

   Mount Paekdu, North Korea's highest mountain on the border with China, last erupted in 1903, but experts have warned that it may have an active core, citing topographical signs and satellite images. Recent earthquakes in China have deepened concerns over an eruption, with some Chinese experts setting the date as early as 2014.

   In the letter addressed to the South's national weather agency, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), North Korea said the two sides should discuss conducting joint research, on-site surveys and symposiums on the possible volcano at Mount Paekdu, the ministry said.

   In response, the South Korean government will "review (the

proposal) based on an understanding that there is a need for South-North cooperation" on the issue, an official said.

   The proposal from the North's earthquake bureau comes as the communist regime has been making repeated calls for talks with the South, a move that many officials here believe is a typical strategy to win aid for its impoverished people after sharply raising tensions on the peninsula.

   Inter-Korean relations deteriorated to their worst in decades after 50 South Koreans died last year in the North's shelling of a Southern border island and the downing of a South Korean warship, also blamed on the North.

   The KMA earlier said that it will start using one of its meteorological satellites in orbit next month to monitor possible volcanic activities at the 2,744-meter Mount Paekdu. It also plans to announce next month a series of measures South Korea should take in the case that there is an eruption.

   Experts have warned that an eruption would cause damage far greater than in Europe, where the eruption of an Icelandic volcano last year caused massive flight disruptions.

   Mount Paekdu also contains 1 billion tons of water, which could deluge surrounding regions and even spark political chaos in the impoverished North, experts say.

   The mountain is considered sacred by people of both Koreas. It is mentioned in South Korea's national anthem while Pyongyang claims its 69-year-old leader, Kim Jong-il, was born there, one of the most conspicuous elements of the personality cult surrounding him.