Korean peninsula crisis: RoK fires into disputed waters despite DPRK's warnings

White Clouds

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Koreas in border artillery clash

South Korea says it has returned fire after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells at one of its border islands, killing two marines.

The South's military was placed on its highest non-wartime alert after the shells landed on Yeonpyeong island.

Pyongyang accused the South of firing first. The Southern military said it had conducted exercises but shelling was directed away from the North.

This is one of the worst clashes since the Korean War ended, analysts say.

There have been occasional cross-border incidents since the conflict ended without a peace treaty in 1953, but the latest comes at a time of rising regional tension.

Yeonpyeong island
Lies 3km (2 miles) from disputed Yellow Sea border and 12km from North Korean coast Houses military installations, a permanent Marine detachment and a small civilian population.

North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il is thought to be ill and trying to ensure the succession of his youngest son.

On Saturday, it emerged that North Korea had also shown off what it claimed was a new uranium enrichment facility to an American scientist.

The move prompted the US to rule out the resumption of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that Pyongyang abandoned two years ago.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called on North Korea to "halt its belligerent action", adding that the US was "firmly committed" to South Korea's defence.

An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council could be held on Tuesday or Wednesday, a French diplomatic source said.

'Unpardonable'

A spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean shells had started falling in the waters off the island of Yeonpyeong at 1434 local time (0534 GMT).




At least 50 landed directly on the island, most hitting a South Korean military base there.

The South's military immediately fired back some 80 shells in self-defence, Col Lee Bung-woo added. At least 16 South Korean marines and three civilians were injured in the clashes.

A resident on the island told the AFP news agency that dozens of houses were damaged by the barrage, while television pictures showed plumes of smoke rising above the island.

"Houses and mountains are on fire and people are evacuating. You can't see very well because of plumes of smoke," a witness on the island told YTN television station. "People are frightened to death."

Local government spokesman Yoon Kwan-seok said the shelling lasted for about an hour and then stopped abruptly.

"The whole of Yeonpyeong island was blacked out following the North Korean attacks," he was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. "All of the island's 1,600-odd residents were evacuated to shelters."

The South Korean military has also deployed fighter jets to Yeonpyeong, which lies about 3km (1.8 miles) south of the disputed inter-Korean maritime border and 100km (60 miles) west of the Korean Peninsula. It said the "inhumane" attack on civilian areas violated the 1953 armistice halting the Korean War.

Later, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak warned North Korea that his country would "sternly retaliate against any further provocations".

"North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong island constitutes a clear armed provocation. Furthermore, its reckless shelling of civilian targets is unpardonable," his office said in a statement.

But North Korea's supreme military command blamed South Korea for the incident.

"The South Korean enemy, despite our repeated warnings, committed reckless military provocations of firing artillery shells into our maritime territory near Yeonpyeong island beginning 1300 (0400 GMT)," the state-run KCNA news agency quoted it as saying.

The North would "continue to make merciless military attacks with no hesitation if the South Korean enemy dares to invade our sea territory by 0.001mm", it warned.

"It is our military's traditional response to quell provocative actions with a merciless thunderbolt."

It did not say whether North Korea suffered any casualties or damage.

South Korean military officials later said that it had been conducting regular military drills in the sea off Yeonpyeong before the incident, but that no fire was aimed towards North Korea.

"We were conducting usual military drills and our test shots were aimed toward the west, not the north," one official told Reuters news agency.

'Colossal danger'

There was more condemnation of North Korea from Russia, EU and the UK, although China - the North's main ally - refused to apportion blame.

A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said that both countries should "do more to contribute to peace".

"What's imperative now is to restart six-party talks as soon as possible," Hong Lei told a news conference in Beijing.

Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said he had ordered ministers to prepare for any eventuality.

Many residents of Yeonpyeong fled the island by ferry after the bombardment "I ordered them to make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur," he said after an emergency cabinet meeting in Tokyo. "I ordered them to do their utmost to gather information."

Russia's foreign minister warned of a colossal danger, and said those behind the attack carried a huge responsibility.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says news of the incident has caused concern on international financial markets, with both the Korean won and Japanese yen falling, but there is no sign of panic in the South Korean capital.

The Bank of Korea said it would hold an emergency meeting to assess the possible market impact.

This western maritime border, also known as the Northern Limit Line, has been the scene of numerous clashes in the past.

In March, a South Korean warship went down near the border with the loss of 46 lives. International investigators say a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, although Pyongyang has denied any role in the incident.

Since then relations between the two neighbours have remained tense.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11818005
 

neo29

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North Korea is gone crazy. An unprovoked aggression. NK has been muscle flexing a lot since it has been claiming to have nuclear weapon. Its high time the UN takes military action against NK to destroy its nuclear program.

Imagine NK having may be few countable nukes and acting so aggressively, what if they have a huge stockpile. They might end up threatening everyone. Its time to cure the cancer before its fatal.
 

Parthy

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North Korean artillery strike alarms world powers

WASHINGTON: The United States vowed to defend its ally South Korea after North Korea rained artillery shells on its neighbour Tuesday, killing two people and touching off widespread alarm in world capitals.

In a powerfully-worded statement, the White House said the United States "strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action."

It also urged nuclear-armed North Korea to "fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement" that ended the Korean War of 1950-53.

"The United States is firmly committed to the defence of our ally, the Republic of (South) Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability," it said.

Condemnation of Pyongyang's action also came from Russia, Japan and Western Europe.

China -- North Korea's sole major ally and economic prop --, while expressing concern over the cross-border firing, appealed for stalled six-party nuclear talks to resume.

In one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-53 war, South Korean troops fired back with cannon, the Seoul government convened in an underground war room and "multiple" air force jets scrambled.

Pyongyang however said South Korea fired first in Tuesday's cross-border artillery duel, which killed two marines and injured 18 soldiers or civilians on a South Korean border island.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose country has long had difficult relations with the reclusive communist state, ordered his government to prepare for any eventuality.

"I ordered (ministers) to make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur," Kan told reporters after an emergency meeting of cabinet members and senior officials.

"I ordered them to do their utmost to gather information."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the shelling, warning of "colossal danger" from Korean tensions and calling for an end to any hostilities.

"This could degenerate into military actions. This is a colossal danger which we need to avoid with all possible means," he said.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague slammed what he called Pyongyang's "unprovoked attack", saying it would lead to further tensions on the peninsula.

"The UK strongly condemns North Korea's unprovoked attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong Island. Such unprovoked attacks will only lead to further tensions on the Korean peninsula," Hague said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned the incident threatened peace in the region.

"I am very worried by the North Korean artillery fire on South Korea. This new military provocation threatens peace in the region," he said.

And EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton joined in the condemnation, urging the communist regime to refrain from actions that could escalate tensions.

"I am deeply concerned by today's events on the Korean Peninsula, which have reportedly led to casualties among South Korean military and civilians," Ashton said in a statement.

"I call on the North Korean authorities to refrain from any action that risks further escalation and to fully respect the Korean Armistice Agreement."

Tuesday's incident came after nuclear-armed North Korea disclosed an apparently operational uranium enrichment programme -- a second potential way of building an atomic bomb -- causing serious alarm for the US and its allies.

A long-running, but currently stalled, six-nation negotiation process hosted by China and including both Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia, is seeking to shut down the North's nuclear weapons programme.

China, the reclusive communist regime's only major ally, expressed concern over the artillery incident.

"We have taken note of the relevant report and we express concern over the situation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

"We hope the relevant parties do more to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."

Hong said it was "imperative" the six-nation talks were restarted "as soon as possible".

"It is China's consistent and firm position to realise de-nuclearisation on the (Korean) peninsula through dialogue and consultation," Hong said.

North Korea abandoned the forum in April 2009, a month before its second nuclear test, and announced in September last year it had reached the final stage of enriching uranium.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-powers/articleshow/6976834.cms#ixzz1689M4irO
 

bhramos

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CCTV video of North Korean bombs hitting South's Yeonpyeong island

 
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bhramos

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Raw Footage Of South Korea Island Being Shelled

 
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SHASH2K2

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BEIJING — North Korea's unending appetite for confrontation has left many wondering what its bottom line is, none more so than its supposed patron and big brother, China.
Despite its impoverishment and heavy dependence on Chinese aid and support, North Korea seems to take a perverse pleasure in defying every Chinese diplomatic initiative, from efforts to keep the Korean peninsula nuclear free to avoiding violent confrontation.

China's influence is rising steadily around the world. But the problem of how to manage its Communist neighbor and one-time ally appears to befuddle China's leaders, who stumble from indulging the North to sending occasional signals of pique, all without making the country adopt a path toward greater openness or stability.

"At the moment China has limited influence," Cai Jian, a professor of Korean studies at Fudan University, said in a telephone interview. "On one hand it's unhappy with North Korean actions and its provocative behavior, but on the other hand it still has to support North Korea."

The support continues because China fears the vacuum created by a sudden collapse there would open the door to rule by South Korea, "and that will put an American military alliance on the doorstep of China."

Mr. Cai said that during a recent trip to China, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was told by the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, that they should communicate better so that China would not be surprised by its behavior.

And yet the weekend's revelations of a new enrichment facility and Tuesday's shelling of a South Korean island seemed to have caught China off guard. On Tuesday, Chinese officials implied they had no advance knowledge at all of the shelling. At a press briefing, a foreign ministry spokesman said China needed to "verify" media reports.

China also called on all sides to return to "six-party talks" between the main countries involved in the region. But almost no Chinese analyst seems to believe that this will result in anything until North Korea shows an eagerness to negotiate rather than make demands — the current one seeming to be that the world recognize it as a full nuclear power with no strings attached.

Speaking in Beijing Tuesday evening, the United States special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, also called for a return to the six-party talks and said he had "very useful" talks with Chinese officials. The two sides, he said, agreed on the need for multilateralism.

But during previous negotiations, North Korea used the time to further develop its nuclear capability, even though this was against China's public position. China has also repeated called for calm and avoiding armed confrontation but the two sides are now shelling each other.

"No matter whether it be within the party, among the people, or even within the military, China has grown increasingly sick and tired of North Korea's rogue politics," said a senior Chinese media commentator, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. "But strategically, China's kidnapped by it."
 

SHASH2K2

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TOKYO — North Korea's artillery bombardment of a South Korean island on Tuesday follows what analysts call a pattern of aggressive actions by the secretive government when it feels under stress or threatened.The attack is the latest in a series of provocations aimed at both South Korea and its protector, the United States, that has seemed to coincide with recent moves by the ailing North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, to position his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as heir apparent.

While the North has sought to send strong, militaristic messages to the United States and its allies in the past, the new provocations have been more forceful and lethal than in recent decades. Analysts say the government may be trying to ensure that the Kim family dynasty continues for a third generation by winning the loyalty of the powerful military with shows of force.

The escalation may also reflect the increasing insecurity or even desperation of the isolated North, which often has trouble feeding its own population, much less keeping up with the rising technological and military capabilities of the far wealthier South.

"The North reacts with sea clashes whenever it feels slighted or threatened," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "The North wants to send a message to the South that it will never yield."

Last weekend, an American nuclear scientist said that the North had shown him a new facility for enriching uranium, in what appeared to be an intentional revelation that it was developing new means to expand its small nuclear arsenal.

By far the biggest incident came in March, when a sudden explosion sank a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors. South Korean and international investigators said the blast was caused by a North Korean torpedo, something the North has vehemently denied. If the sinking was the work of the North, it would be the most lethal military attack since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Analysts admit that trying to make sense of these seemingly random and often violent acts is a bit like reading tea leaves. However, they tend to offer three lines of analysis in explaining them.

The first is that the North is raising tensions on the peninsula in order to get Washington's attention. In particular, North Korea appears keen to hold bilateral talks with the United States, something both the Bush and Obama administrations have been wary of doing. The Bush administration preferred to hold collective discussions with North Korea as part of the so-called six party talks that also involve China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. The Obama administration has not held direct talks with the North.

The lack of negotiations has frustrated one of the North's main goals in developing a nuclear program: getting the outside world to pay the North to dismantle it. When talks lag or the North does not get the result it is seeking, it often seeks to remind neighbors of its military prowess — by testing a nuclear device or a new missile, for example.

The recent provocations could be a show aimed at the broader domestic population, to once again rally them behind the government by creating an air of crisis. Some experts have also speculated that the recent acts were ordered by the younger Kim to establish his leadership credentials with the military, arguably the most powerful institution in North Korea.

One of the North's ultimate goals may be ensuring the Kim dynasty's survival by negotiating with the United States, most likely for a peace treaty to conclude the Korean war, which never formally ended. North Korea could conceivably offer its nuclear program as a bargaining chip in exchange for security guarantees that would include a pledge never to attack the North.

The last time North Korea engaged in acts this destructive was in the 1980s, when it blew up a South Korean airliner and also detonated a bomb in Myanmar in a botched attempt to assassinate the visiting South Korean president. Both attacks were said to be ordered by Kim Jong-il, who was then the heir to his father and the government's founder, Kim Il-song.

No matter what the motivations, the troubled North is viewed as fiercely independent, and its aggressiveness may well be an effort to signal a resolve to show its staying power against the growing wealth and technological strength of the South.

This would not be the first time the North has sent such warnings, which often take the form of military clashes in disputed waters around Yeonpyeong island, the target of Tuesday's artillery attack. North and South Korean warships have fought in these waters three times since 1999. The most recent clash came last November, when an exchange of fire damaged patrol vessels of both nations.
 

Kunal Biswas

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Imagine NK having may be few countable nukes and acting so aggressively, what if they have a huge stockpile. They might end up threatening everyone. Its time to cure the cancer before its fatal.
Some News In SK conform that US F-22 were in Air ( RECON )
NK lunch site..

(LEAD) S. Korea vows 'stern retaliation' against N. Korea's attacks

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak ordered his military Tuesday to punish North Korea for its artillery attacks "through action," not just words, saying it is important to stop the communist regime from contemplating additional provocation.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/nati...13700315F.HTML


Residents evacuating on whatever seaworthy vessel they can find.
 
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thakur_ritesh

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Oh yes there is not the slightest of the doubts that western media is completely biased against the north but then that is how the western propaganda and in this case add to it the south Korean propaganda works out.

This makes me recall the words of madeleine Albright who after she had left the office went on to say when she met kim jong il, she came across a personality which was absolutely contrary to what the media in the US had portrayed him all this while. In her words the man was as gracious, respectful, knowledgeable to the extent when on a delegation meet ,she had with this person and his team, he was not taking any notes from anyone, was well aware about the world at large, the politics of it and completely contrary to the "weird" image the western media had built around him.

News coming out from this region especially from south and America should be taken with a pinch of salt, there is generally more to it than meets the eyes.
 
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badguy2000

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North Korea is gone crazy. An unprovoked aggression. NK has been muscle flexing a lot since it has been claiming to have nuclear weapon. Its high time the UN takes military action against NK to destroy its nuclear program.

Imagine NK having may be few countable nukes and acting so aggressively, what if they have a huge stockpile. They might end up threatening everyone. Its time to cure the cancer before its fatal.
I don't think so.

the sea boundary which S.korea sticks to has never been accepted by N.korea and is always a unilaterall line

So, it is always a disputed area and it itself is a provokation that S,Korea held a military exercise in such a disputed area.

S.Korea deserves it!
 

SHASH2K2

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INCHEON: A US aircraft carrier headed toward the Korean peninsula on Wednesday, a day after North Korea launched dozens of artillery shells on a South Korean island.

The nuclear-powered USS George Washington, which carries 75 warplanes and has a crew of over 6,000, left a naval base south of Tokyo on Wednesday morning and would join exercises with South Korea from Sunday to the following Wednesday, US officials in Seoul said.

"This exercise is defensive in nature," US Forces Korea said in a statement. "While planned well before yesterday's unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the ROK (South Korea)-US alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence."

China came under heavy pressure to rein in North Korea after its reclusive ally fired dozens of artillery shells at the South Korean island, killing two South Korean soldiers and setting houses ablaze in the heaviest attack on its neighbour since the Korean War ended in 1953.

US President Barack Obama, woken up in the early hours to be told of the artillery strike, said he was outraged but declined to speculate on possible US military action.

However, in a telephone call with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Obama pressed the North to stop its provocative actions.

The US-led UN Command said it had asked North Korea for talks to try to reduce tension on the divided peninsula.

"We're in a semi state of war," South Korean coastguard Kim Dong-jin told Reuters in the port city of Incheon where many residents of Yeonpyeong island fled in panic as the bombardment triggered a fire storm.

The bombardment nagged at global markets, already unsettled by worries over Ireland's debt problem and looking to invest in less risky markets.

Buying opportunities

But South Korea's markets, after sharp falls, later started to rebound.

"If you look back at the last five years when we've had scares, they were all seen as buying opportunities. The rule among hedge funds and long-only funds is that you let the market sell off and watch for your entry point to get involved," Todd Martin, Asia equity strategist with Societe Generale in Hong Kong, said.

Despite the rhetoric, regional powers made clear they were looking for a diplomatic way to calm things down.

South Korea, its armed forces technically superior though about half the size of the North's one-million-plus army, warned of "massive retaliation" if its neighbour attacked again.

But it was careful to avoid any immediate threat of retaliation which might spark an escalation of fighting across the Cold War's last frontier.

"My house was burnt to the ground," said Cho Soon-ae, 47, who was among 170 or so evacuated from the island of Yeonpyeong on Thursday.

"We've lost everything. I don't even have extra underwear," she said weeping, holding on to her sixth-grade daughter, as she landed at the port of Incheon.

South Korea was conducting military drills in the area at the time but said it had not been firing at the North. It later said it would resume those drills once the situation stabilised.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called on China, the impoverished North's only powerful ally, to help rein in the hermit state.

China has long propped up the Pyongyang leadership, worried that a collapse of the North could bring instability to its own borders and also wary of a unified Korea that would be dominated by the United States, the key ally of the South.

In a clear prod to Beijing during a visit to the Chinese capital, U.S. North Korea envoy Stephen Bosworth said: "We call on all members of the international community to condemn the DPRK's (North Korea's) acts and to make clear that they expect the DPRK to cease all provocations and implement its denuclearisation commitments."

On Tuesday, Obama said he would urge China to tell Pyongyang "there are a set of international rules they must abide by".

Beijing said it had agreed with the United States to try to restart talks among regional powers over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

A number of analysts suspect that Tuesday's attack may have been an attempt by North Korean leader Kim jong-il to raise his bargaining position ahead of disarmament talks which he has used in the past to win concessions and aid from the outside world, in particular the United States.

"It's Mr Kim's old game to get some attention and some economic goodies," said Lin Chong-pin, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taipei.

Several analysts believe the attacks may also have been driven by domestic politics, with the ailing Kim desperate to give a lift to his youngest son, named as heir apparent to the family dynasty in September but who has little clear support in the military.

Read more: US aircraft carrier heads for Korean waters - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...waters-/articleshow/6980202.cms#ixzz16AvppKZf
 

Kunal Biswas

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4 out of 6 K9 were outside of the base for training, so only 2 K9s were damaged. One K9 got direct shot but survived, and other one had just missed the direct shot but the blast caused damage. Both K9s had problem on their FCS due to damage. it said the attack damaged 2 K9, but marines fixed those two and the two joined the fight later, There is a suspicion that someone (NK agent) in the island and guided artilleries since NK artillery seemed adjusting targets by shooting few rounds at the beginning.

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/htm...0112400137.htm (in korean)
 

SHASH2K2

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SEOUL, South Korea — As nerves began to calm the day after a prolonged and deadly artillery exchange between North and South Korea, focus turned on Wednesday to the possible motivations for the assault and whether the South might have provoked it.

The Koreas blame each other for instigating the artillery barrages on Tuesday afternoon. The exchange, which lasted about an hour, centered on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, which lies in the western sea, eight miles off the North Korean coast.

The incident killed two South Korean soldiers and President Lee Myung-bak expressed regret Wednesday afternoon over "the passing of the two marines who met a glorious death in defense of the homeland."

The charred bodies of two civilians also were discovered as military teams canvassed the wreckage of the island. Yeonpyeong, essentially a fishing village, is about twice the size of New York's Central Park. About 1,600 civilians live there, along with a marine garrison of about 1,000.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said the attack on the island was unprovoked. In a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Lee called the attack "unprecedented."

"It was a premeditated provocation and an indiscriminate attack against civilians," he said.

But North Korea, through its official news agency, said the South had fired first, sending live rounds from a battery on another island onto its side of the maritime border.

"What has been missing in all the analysis is that we're not listening to what North Korea says," said Michael Breen, the author of a book about the two Koreas and a biography of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader. "Because of the blustering language the North Koreans always use, you tend to dismiss it.

"But if the North was holding live-fire exercises five miles offshore from South Korea, it wouldn't just be business as usual. These waters, they consider theirs. What's the point, anyway, of doing these live-fire drills so close to North Korea?"

The South Korean deputy defense minister acknowledged Tuesday night that the South had fired artillery close to North Korea, but he insisted the shots were aimed away from the North. Defense officials also said the North had known about the exercises.

"But a military exercise is classically a cover for the real thing," said Mr. Breen. "The North Koreans may have reasoned, in their paranoia, that an invasion was happening."

Another analyst said military exercises close to the North Korean coast have always angered Pyongyang.

"It's part of their threat perception," said John Delury, a professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul. "It contributes to the atmosphere of tension and conflict, and it makes it easier for North Korean hardliners to make something happen."

Mr. Delury and other analysts said the North knew it was raising the stakes in firing on an island with a civilian population, twice, in broad daylight, in the middle of the afternoon. There was no fog-of-war explanation for it, he said.

"I find it hard to believe they felt they had no choice but to attack," Mr. Delury said. "They knew they were ratcheting things up."

As diplomatic responses to the incident were being drafted in Washington, Seoul, Beijing and other capitals, the American and South Korean militaries announced Wednesday that an aircraft carrier strike group would lead a four-day exercise in the western sea beginning on Sunday. The strike group is led by the United States carrier George Washington.

Mr. Breen called it "foolishness."

"The whole idea is just to give them the bird," he said.

"China is not going to react well to this," added Mr. Delury. "They may wait a day or two, but they're going to be upset."

North Korea scholars in Seoul said the arrival of the aircraft carrier, as a potent symbol of gunboat diplomacy, would likely bolster the hardliners inside the North Korean regime.

"These guys want aircraft carriers," Mr. Delury said. "This is exactly the response they want."

The American military, which called the upcoming drill "defensive in nature," said it had been planned before the artillery exchange occurred. The previous exercises were postponed due to bad weather.

The American general who heads the United Nations Command in South Korea, Gen. Walter L. Sharp, also called Wednesday for military talks with senior officers of the North Korean People's Army "in order to initiate an exchange of information and deescalate the situation."
Many political analysts in Seoul agreed that the barrage by the North was probably approved by Kim Jong-il, reputed to be an all-knowing micro-manager who famously dispenses "on-the-spot guidance" to farmers, factory managers, generals, physicists, pilots, textile workers or anyone else he visits.

"Something like this has to be cleared at the highest level, no matter what," said Lee Sung-yoon, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Mr. Lee rejected the idea that a maverick military commander seeking to curry favor or score political points with Mr. Kim might have authorized the attack on his own.

"There is no 'rogue elements' theory applicable here," Mr. Lee said. "This is how North Korea approaches negotiations — not through the conventions of diplomatic courtesy but through raising the stakes through provocations. It's been a potent formula, this provocation-negotiation-concession schema."

Mr. Breen, the Kim Jong-il biographer, said the widely held notion of Mr. Kim as unbalanced was inaccurate. Eccentric, perhaps. A dictator, certainly. But politically inept, no.

"He's not a foolish man at all," Mr. Breen said. "He's not crazy, not at all. He's not nuts. That's a very shallow analysis.

"If he was here on a conference call with us, he'd say, "Look, if there's a war, my country will be finished within a week. I know that. I'm not trying to start a war, I just don't like enemy states holding live-fire exercises within stone-throwing distance of my coast."

As his artillery was pounding Yeonpyeong on Tuesday, Mr. Kim and his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, apparently toured a soy sauce factory and a medical school, according to an item from the North's official news agency that was cited by the Yonhap news agency in Seoul. The item appeared Tuesday, although it was not clear that the father-son outing had taken place the same day.

Kim Jong-un, who is believed to be 27 or 28, recently emerged as the apparent heir to his father. (The elder Kim had taken over from his father, the founding president of North Korea, Kim Il-sung.) Kim Jong-un recently was given significant political posts in the ruling Korean Workers' Party and was awarded the rank of four star general despite no known record of having served in the military.

Mr. Lee and other North Korea analysts said the clash on Tuesday was likely intended to bolster the political standing and military credentials of the son. The North would likely claim, he said, that "this is how the young general showed his mettle."

Mr. Lee said he expects further incidents by the North — including perhaps another nuclear test — in the coming weeks, perhaps to coincide with Kim Jong-un's birthday on Jan. 8. The North has previously tested two nuclear devices.

"North Korea will have a strong incentive to celebrate the heir apparent's strategic genius on Jan. 8," said Mr. Lee. "Whether the Boy Who Would Be King can sustain his impoverished kingdom over the long run is an entirely different question."

Meanwhile, the KOSPI stock index in Seoul opened nervously on Wednesday, but closed down just 0.2 percent. The index, one of the best-performing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, is up more than 20 percent from a year ago.

The Nikkei index in Japan in lost 0.8 percent, although other markets in the region shook off worries about an escalation of the artillery incident and managed small gains.

The Unification Ministry, the South Korean department that deals with most of the nonmilitary inter-Korean issues, said on Wednesday that further aid shipments to North Korea had been suspended. Under a previous agreement between the two Koreas, the South had already shipped 5,000 tons of rice, 3,000 tons of cement and 3 million cups of instant noodles to the North.

In addition to Yeonpyeong, South Korea has other islands in the western sea that lie just off the North Korean coast. They fall under the Inchon metropolitan government, which ordered the residents of Baeknyeong, Daecheong and Socheong islands to evacuate, according to the South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo. The islands have air raid bunkers and bomb shelters, and local government officials said about 6,000 islanders took cover in 98 shelters.
 

Yusuf

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Wonder if this was an SK strike first to avenge the naval incident earlier? It seems to have gone wrong for them though. NK lives like its going to be their last day with a simple philosophy of hum to dubenge pur tumhe bhi le dubenge sanam. They will always hit back with everything including the kitchen sink. Very careful consideration is required when dealing with NK. I think the west lost its chance at a regime change when Jong Il was rumored to be ailing and his son was being groomed. If they had taken steps to eliminate him back then something could have been done to get NK back into mainstream.
 

SHASH2K2

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If I followed the news correctly conflict started when N korean ships entered in to south Korean waters. South koreans first warned and then fired. N koreans retreated and then shelling started .If S koreans wanted to avenge they should have sunk some ships.
 

The Messiah

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Oh yes there is not the slightest of the doubts that western media is completely biased against the north but then that is how the western propaganda and in this case add to it the south Korean propaganda works out.

This makes me recall the words of madeleine Albright who after she had left the office went on to say when she met kim jong il, she came across a personality which was absolutely contrary to what the media in the US had portrayed him all this while. In her words the man was as gracious, respectful, knowledgeable to the extent when on a delegation meet ,she had with this person and his team, he was not taking any notes from anyone, was well aware about the world at large, the politics of it and completely contrary to the "weird" image the western media had built around him.

News coming out from this region especially from south and America should be taken with a pinch of salt, there is generally more to it than meets the eyes.
I was about to post the same. Good post
 

thakur_ritesh

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Wonder if this was an SK strike first to avenge the naval incident earlier? It seems to have gone wrong for them though. NK lives like its going to be their last day with a simple philosophy of hum to dubenge pur tumhe bhi le dubenge sanam. They will always hit back with everything including the kitchen sink. Very careful consideration is required when dealing with NK. I think the west lost its chance at a regime change when Jong Il was rumored to be ailing and his son was being groomed. If they had taken steps to eliminate him back then something could have been done to get NK back into mainstream.
yusuf,

actually far from it. their sole motto is to get the US out of the region, a country which they see as the biggest stumbling block to the re-unification process and then reunite korea but on their terms. fact of the matter is neither china, nor the US want this country to be re-unified just to keep their own interests intact in the region. for china it is a buffer zone to make sure the americans do not come knocking their doors, something similar to what they have done in PoK where no american soldiers movement is allowed and today that region hosts PLA soldiers, and if this region is to be reunified then there has to be a dprk takeover so that they are able to create a vassal state which has a strong economy and helps it in flexing its hegemonic and expansionist aspirations. for america like japan/pakistan/afghanistan/iraq/middle east and many other such places, rok is another strategic location to push themselves and keep their interests and influecnce intact in that particular region. eventually what we are seeing is a hold of supremacy of one power over the other something that is only going to get nasty in days and years to come.

the real problem is, south has grown way too much and too fast and north has been left in the early part of 20th century, and this difference each day only increases but still an average north korean earns nearly twice as much as an average indian so its not as if they are completely lost in some other world and century. south korea at no cost wants a war because if that happens they are the ones who will lose it the most, on the other hand north doesnt have much to lose other than people and machinery which they can easily afford so their rhetoric is way more and will be so, what is required here is, someone to call that bluff but that is not going to happen, south will not allow that. in this what the south is looking at is a slow and steady rise of economy in north and the the process of reunification starts after north has reached a certain level but then there is just too much outside interference and so that wont happen any time soon.

i think for india there are two lessons to be learnt from this:

  • 1). do not at any cost let the pakistanis completely fall in the lap of chinese, which means there should be some american involvement in which ever way, to what ever extent and time possible.
  • 2). it will be in india's long term interest where pakistani grows but has a constrained growth and it should not be case where india has completely galloped ahead and pakistan is seen getting caught in some other century, as such they have people who have profound love to take that country centuries back a glimpse of which was seen in afghanistan, and by chance if that were to happen then it would become ineveiable to have a broken-up pakistan.

incase there is a complete chinese take over and they get taken back by centuries, we will have a much worse situation than is faced by south korea where atleast for now it seems the dog (dpkr) only barks.
 

AirforcePilot

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North Korea warns of retaliation


S. Korea government in emergency meeting; joint exercises with U.S. move ahead

INCHEON, South Korea — North Korea is warning of more "retaliation" if South Korea carries out "reckless military provocations."

The warning came as south Korea's government held an emergency meeting Thursday and Washington and Seoul prepared for joint drills involving a U.S. nuclear-powered supercarrier in the Yellow Sea.

The North made no specific mention of those drills but says its "military will launch second and third strong physical retaliations without hesitation if South Korean warmongers carry out reckless military provocations."

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Daily life in North Korea
..The statement on North Korea's state media blames the U.S. for South Korean military drills earlier in the week that Pyongyang says sparked its attack Tuesday that left four dead and put the region on edge.

It says Washington "should thoroughly control South Korea to ensure they won't continue adventurous military provocations" such as violations of a disputed sea border.

The warning was issued by North Korea's military's mission at the truce village of Panmunjom and was carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency.

The bombardment Tuesday of a tiny South Korean island along a disputed maritime frontier killed at least four people, sparked a brief skirmish and alarmed world leaders including President Barack Obama, who reaffirmed plans for joint maneuvers with Seoul in waters south of the clash starting Sunday.

The Obama administration urged China to use its influence to rein in its ally North Korea, with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, saying that "We really think it's important for the international community to lead, but in particular China."

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a meeting of top officials to discuss security and economic impacts of the attack, a presidential official said.

Seoul and Washington prepared to hold joint military exercises involving the aircraft carrier USS George Washington starting Sunday in the Yellow Sea, just 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Yeonpyeong, the island shelled by North Korea on Tuesday.

The drills, although previously scheduled, are sure to infuriate North Korea.

Residents of Yeongpyeong who evacuated the island and began arriving at the South Korean port of Incheon on Wednesday told harrowing tales of fiery destruction and narrow escapes.

Ann Ahe-ja, one of hundreds of exhausted evacuees from Yeonpyeong island arriving in the port of Incheon on a rescue ship, said the artillery barrage that killed four people — two of them civilians — had caught her by surprise.

"Over my head, a pine tree was broken and burning," Ann told AP Television News on Wednesday. "So I thought 'Oh, this is not another exercise. It is a war.' I decided to run. And I did."

About 10 homes suffered direct hits and 30 were destroyed in the midafternoon barrage, according to a local official who spoke by telephone from the island just seven miles (11 kilometers) from the North Korean shore. About 1,700 civilians live on Yeonpyeong alongside South Korean troops stationed there.

"I heard the sound of artillery, and I felt that something was flying over my head," said Lim Jung-eun, 36, who fled the island with three children, including a 9-month-old strapped to her back. "Then the mountain caught on fire."

The Obama administration called the attack a "premeditated" violation of the truce that ended the Korean War.

As the isolated North's only ally and main economic partner, China plays a "pivotal" role in reducing tensions and has a duty to tell Pyongyang that deliberate acts "specifically intended to inflame tensions in the region" are not acceptable, the State Department said.

"China is pivotal in moving North Korea in a fundamentally different direction," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters. "We expect China to be clear, like we are, as to where the responsibility for the current situation, the current tension lies. This is something that we feel strongly about."

Crowley said U.S. diplomats had delivered that message to Chinese officials in Washington and Beijing in the aftermath of Tuesday's North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to discuss the attack and the response to it by telephone with China's foreign minister, Crowley said.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed the point of China's importance in the process in an interview to be aired Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

"We really think it's important for the international community to lead, but in particular China," Mullen said. "It's a very dangerous area when he (North Korean leader Kim Jong-il) does this, it destabilizes the region, and China has as much to lose as anybody in that region with the continuation of this kind of behavior and what the potential might be."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the shelling of the island near the two nations' disputed maritime border one of the "gravest incidents" since the Korean War.

South Korean troops remained on high alert. In Washington, President Barack Obama pledged to "stand shoulder to shoulder" with Seoul.

The U.S. has more than 28,000 troops in South Korea to guard against North Korean aggression, a legacy of the bitter three-year conflict that ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.

North Korea, earlier laying out its version of events, said the army warned the South several times that firing "a single shell" in its waters would draw a "prompt retaliatory strike." A military official phoned a South Korean counterpart at 8 a.m. to urge Seoul to cancel the drills, the North's news agency KCNA reported.

But the South Koreans — displaying their "crafty and vicious nature" — went ahead and fired dozens of shells some five hours later, prompting a defensive response, the report said.

A spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday night that troops acted defensively in response to "extremely reckless military provocation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said.

In Pyongyang, residents boasted that the exchange showed off their military's strength and ability to counter South Korean aggression.

"I think this time our military demonstrated to the whole world that it doesn't make empty talk," Ri Pong Suk told TV news agency APTN in the North Korean capital.

Artillery and gunfire break out sporadically along the land and maritime borders dividing the two Koreas, and have brought deadly exchanges four times since 1999.

In March, North Korea was accused of sinking a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang has denied responsibility.

Documenting what we 'already know'
..The North's most notorious act was the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner that claimed 115 lives. And in 1996, a group of North Korean spies slipped ashore from a submarine and killed three civilians and a South Korean army private.

South Koreans see Tuesday's killing of civilians as taking the confrontation to a new level, one analyst said.

"It's clearly a line for people, and crossing that line puts it in a different category," said John Delury, an assistant professor at Seoul's Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies. "People here are feeling very conflicted, outrage and sorrow."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40349704/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
 

Ray

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Not to worry, the dust will settle down.

North Korea has not the wherewithal to challenge the US and the US combine.

The sabre rattling, started by South Korea, is possibly a well orchestrated move to tell China also to lay off and stop hunting in troubled waters with its disputes with neighbours in the South China Sea.

The exchange of firing comes too close on the heels of China's expansionist forays in the South China Sea to believe that this South Korean firing was merely a routine exercise.

Firing close to the waters of North Korea was expected, given the high strung nature of North Korea!
 
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