1. Wide of North Korean side at Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) with meeting huts straddling Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating North and South Korea

2. Mid of North Korean People Army (KPA) soldiers standing in front of MDL

3. Close of North Korean soldiers

4. Wide of Chinese tour group walking out of one of the meeting huts straddling the MDL

5. Interior of meeting huts, with North Korean officer talking to visitors

6. North Korean KPA Lieutenant Choe Song Il talking to visitors

7. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lieutenant Choe Song Il, (North) Korean People's Army:

"The firing in the West Sea has created tension for our soldiers. So we soldiers hope that the tense situation between the DPRK and the US, and North and South, will be relieved as soon as possible, in a peaceful way."

8. Wide of Panmunjom Pavilion on North Korean side of MDL

9. Mid of Panmunjom Pavilion with North Korean soldier standing outside it

10. Close of North Korean soldier standing outside Panmunjom Pavilion

11. Wide of North Korean guard post overlooking MDL

12. Mid of North Korean soldier outside guard post

13. Wide of North Korean soldiers standing in front of MDL, looking towards North

14. Close of North Korean soldiers

15. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lieutenant Choe Song Il, (North) Korean People's Army:

"I know that there were casualties on the South side in the West Sea incident. I hope that such military conflict between North and South should never happen again."

16. Pan of North Korean soldiers marching past huts straddling MDL

17. North Korean soldiers standing outside meeting hut which straddles MDL

18. Wide of meeting huts

A North Korean military officer stationed at the Demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas has called for an easing of tension on the Korean peninsula.

In an exclusive interview, Lieutenant Choe Song Il talked about what he referred to as the "West Sea incident", when on Tuesday last week North Korean rockets killed four South Koreans on a tiny South Korean island close to the North Korean mainland.

Choe told the APTN that the incident and the US-South Korea military exercises which followed it have caused "tension" for the North Korean troops along the Demilitarised Zone.

Choe hoped that a "peaceful way" could be found between North Korea, the US, and South Korea, to relieve the current tension.

Choe referred to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

When asked if he regretted the deaths caused in South Korea by North Korean rocket fire last week, Choe adopted a conciliatory tone, commenting only that he was aware of the casualties, and hoped that such military conflict between North and South Korea would never happen again.

On Wednesday the situation at Panmunjom, the meeting place which straddles the dividing line between the two Koreas, was eerily quiet.

There was no sight of soldiers, officials, or visitors on the South Korean side.

On the North Korean side, a group of Chinese visitors toured the facilities, while they were in the most sensitive area around the Military Demarcation Line, a handful of North Korean soldiers came out to stand guard.

Shortly after the Chinese group moved away, most of the North Korean soldiers left the area too.

Panmunjom is half way into the four kilometre wide Demilitarised Zone which runs across the Korean peninsula.

The Military Demarcation Line runs through the middle of the Demilitarised Zone.

The Demilitarised Zone is approximately 170 kilometres from the North Korean capital Pyongyang, and approximately 70 kilometres from the South Korean capital Seoul.