South Korean President Park Geun-hye spoke by phone with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday and discussed the situation in North Korea, regional tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial war shrine and other issues of common interest, her office said. During the call initiated by Ban, Park said it is difficult to predict the situation in North Korea in the wake of the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-thaek, and she is concerned that the suffering of North Koreans will deepen, according to the office.