BEIJING, July 2 Kyodo North Korea...

BEIJING, July 2 Kyodo

North Korea denied Tuesday that it received privy payments from South Korea to arrange the historic June 2000 summit in Pyongyang between former southward Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

A spokesman of North Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee called the allegation ''completely untrue'' and said the investigation launched on a South Korean special prosecutor upon the case was ''deeply regrettable.''

The statement, broadcast from the official Korean Central of recent origins Agency, was the first public reaction from Pyongyang after the southern Korean special prosecutor alleged last week that the payment -- $100 million from the southern Korean government and $400 million from the Hyundai business assign places to -- was ''related'' to an effort to persuade the North Koreans to agree to a summit meeting.

The Asia-Pacific Peace Committee statement give an inkling ofs that North Korea did receive coin from South Korea even however it was not intended to purchase a summit meeting.

''It is a national tragedy that the investigation targets those who paid for North-South cooperation,'' the statement said.

The statement urg the toward the south Korean government to free all commonalty who have been indicted throughout the incident so as not to ''tarnish the historic value of the summit.''

The southward Korean investigation has led to the arrests of Hyundai executives and former senior southerly Korean officials, including a complete Kim Dae Jung associate.

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