Seoul - A South Korean man went on a rampage Monday in Seoul, setting fire to an 85-room lodging and stabbing five people to death, local media reported.

The unemployed 31-year-old suspect first set fire to his room in a low-cost lodging facility in Seoul and then stabbed other residents with a knife while fleeing the fire, Yonhap news agency reported.

Seoul - Shares surged 2.3 per cent Monday on the Seoul stock exchange after gains on other Asian markets.

The local currency also soared against the dollar after the South Korean government announced measures at the weekend to ease the liquidity crunch and prop up the troubled financial industry.

The benchmark Kospi index rose 26.96 points to close at 1,207.63.

Advancing issues outpaced decliners 405 to 402.

The main index of the technology-heavy Kosdaq market rose 0.91 points to 353.09.

Seoul - Shares dove Friday on the Seoul stock exchange as persistent fears of a worldwide economic recession weighed heavily on the market, but the won soared against the US dollar.

Seoul  - Communist North Korea stepped up pressure on its southern neighbour, threatening Thursday to cut all ties with Seoul, South Korean media reported.

Pyongyang reiterated its accusations that the conservative government of President Lee Myung Bak was following an aggressive policy against the North in a commentary run by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, a North Korean government mouthpiece.

Seoul - Communist North Korea stepped up pressure on its southern neighbour, threatening Thursday to cut all ties with Seoul, South Korean media reported.

Pyongyang reiterated its accusations that the conservative government of President Lee Myung Bak was following an aggressive policy against the North in a commentary run by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, a North Korean government mouthpiece.

Seoul -