Seoul protesters demand revenge for North Korean torpedo attack

Thousands of people marched through Seoul yesterday to demand revenge on the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, for the sinking of a South Korean ship, while the country’s navy conducted exercises that focused on finding North Korean submarines.
The media in Seoul reported that the South Korean-US joint military command raised its degree of alert to the second highest level amid tensions after Seoul’s announcement that North Korea sank the corvette Cheonan in March with the loss of 46 lives.
A US aircraft has been sent from the Japanese island of Okinawa to spy on the North, and the Japanese Government has been informed of an unusually high level of troop movements on the northern side of the inter-Korean border. Meanwhile, Pyongyang announced that it would nullify a communications arrangement set up to prevent conflict between the two countries’ navies.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang promised “immediate physical strikes” in return for South Korean incursions across its naval border. It also said that the North would stop South Korean workers from entering the joint industrial park in the North Korean town of Kaesong, the last remnant of 12 years of unsteady entente between the countries.

“We will never tolerate the slightest provocations of our enemies, and will answer to that with all-out war,” Major-General Pak Chan Su, of the North’s Korean People’s Army, said. “This is the firm standpoint of our People’s Army.”
About 10,000 people gathered in central Seoul demanding revenge for the sinking of the 1,500-tonne corvette on March 26. A two-month investigation concluded last week that it was caused by a North Korean torpedo in an unprovoked attack.
The demonstrators beat balloon effigies of Mr Kim and shouted, “Let’s kill the mad dog!” in front of City Hall. South Korea has announced the suspension of all trade with Pyongyang and promised to reintroduce propaganda boards at the land border.
Ten South Korean ships, including a 3,500-tonne destroyer, fired artillery and dropped depth charges in the Yellow Sea in a one-day exercise to detect the kind of submarine that is assumed to have fired the torpedo. The area chosen for the exercises was more than 100 miles (160km) south of the disputed sea border between the countries — indicating that, however heated the rhetoric, the South is anxious to avoid further military skirmishes for fear of full-scale war.
Two large-scale joint military exercises are planned with the US in July in a deliberate show of strength intended to deter Pyongyang. “We call on North Korea to cease all acts of provocation and to live up with the terms of past agreements, including the armistice agreement,” said General Walter Sharp, the commander of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. “We will sustain our efforts to deter and defeat aggression.”
South Korea intends to bring up the torpedo attack at the United Nations Security Council as early as next week but it seems likely that strong condemnation will be vetoed by China and Russia. Publicly China has declined even to accept the conclusions of the international investigation, which found that the Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean torpedo.
“The issue is highly complicated,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, said. “China does not have first-hand information. We are looking at the information from all sides in a prudent manner. China’s position on the ship remains unchanged.”
North Korea has denied all responsibility for the attack. “The reckless campaign ... of South Korea over its warship sinking is the unpardonable worst provocation and an open declaration of a war,” the North Korean Workers’ Newspaper said yesterday. “The group of traitors’ assertion that the warship was sunken by ‘a torpedo attack of the North’ is a sheer farce reminiscent of a thief crying ‘Stop the thief!’”

North Korea threatens nuclear 'fire shower' if attacked

North Korea today threatened to retaliate with a nuclear "fire shower" if it is attacked by the US and warned it would expand its nuclear arsenal, a month after it carried out a controlled nuclear explosion in defiance of the UN security council.
The regime used the 59th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war to step up its threats against the US, whose navy is tracking a North Korean vessel off the Chinese coast that is suspected of carrying weapons.
Earlier this month the UN banned all weapons exports from North Korea in response to the May 25 nuclear test, its second in three years.
The latest warning came as speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to test launch short- and medium-range missiles.
North Korea has banned ships from the waters off its east coast until July 10 for "military exercises", but South Korean and US intelligence officials do not believe the tests will involve a long-range Taepodong-2 missile, which is theoretically capable of reaching Hawaii.
Yesterday President Barack Obama extended Washington's sanctions against North Korea for another year and warned that the regime's nuclear weapons programme posed "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to the US.
North Korea, which is thought to possess between five and seven nuclear bombs, recently restarted its main nuclear reactor, which is capable of reprocessing spent fuel rods used in the production of weapons-grade plutonium.
In Pyongyang the state-run media accused the US of provoking the Korean war – most historians agree the conflict was started by the North – and of looking for an excuse to launch another attack.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the North had every right to defend itself in the face of what it called US hostility. The regime "will never give up its nuclear deterrent … and will further strengthen it," it said.
The newspaper said a recent US pledge to use nuclear weapons to defend South Korea amounted to "asking for the calamitous situation of having a fire shower of nuclear retaliation all over South Korea".
The three-year Korean war ended in 1953 with a fragile truce and the creation of the most heavily fortified border in the world. Last month Pyongyang said it was no longer bound by the armistice after the South agreed to take part in US-led searches of vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction.
The ship now being tracked by a US navy destroyer has reportedly cleared the Taiwan Strait and is thought to be heading to Burma with a shipment of conventional munitions.
The US and its allies have yet to decide whether to intercept and search the ship, a move that North Korea said it would view as a declaration of war.

North Korea to Suspend Naval Hot Line With South

North Korea said Thursday that it was cutting off a naval hot line that was intended to prevent clashes near its disputed sea border with South Korea. Meanwhile, the South conducted a large naval drill in a show of force.

A South Korean naval vessel dropped depth charges during a drill in the seas off Taean on Thursday.
Cutting the link, established in 2004 after deadly skirmishes in 1999 and 2002, raises the chances of an armed clash in the tense waters off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula — something the North has said could happen any time, particularly now that the South has officially accused it of sinking one of its warships in March.
“We will immediately deliver a physical strike at anyone intruding across our maritime demarcation line,” the North’s state-run news agency KCNA quoted a senior military official as saying, referring to the North’s self-proclaimed sea border, which juts deeply into South Korean waters.
The two sides have disagreed on the line for a western sea border since the Korean War ended with a truce in 1953.
The North’s warnings on Thursday came as a fleet of 10 South Korean warships, including a 3,500-ton destroyer, conducted an exercise far south of the disputed waters. Shells pounded the sea and columns of water erupted as antisubmarine depth charges exploded during the one-day exercise.
In Japan, a legislative committee forwarded to Parliament a bill that would allow coast guard vessels to inspect North Korean freighters in international waters. The measure is expected to pass. The Japanese government is also considering ways to cut down on remittances and other shipments from members of its large North Korean community to their native country.
Following up on the North’s earlier threat to cut all remaining ties with South Korea, the North Korean military also said Thursday that it was considering blocking communications and transportation across the land border. Currently, hundreds of South Korean factory managers and engineers travel daily to and from the joint industrial park at Kaesong, a North Korean border town.
Blocking the border would cut off the complex, where 120 South Korean factories employ 45,000 North Korean workers. So far, despite the escalating tensions, neither side has shut the complex, the last remnant of the so-called sunshine policy pursued under President Lee Myung-bak’s most recent predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
This week, the South suspended most trade with the North, which has denied involvement in the ship’s sinking.
Earlier, the North had threatened to “completely block South Korean personnel and vehicles” from Kaesong if the South carried out its plan to resume its psychological warfare against the North, mainly through propaganda broadcasts across the border. The North’s military said Thursday that it would destroy the South’s loudspeakers.

Southern and Northern Cartoons & Propaganda

Chinese premier arrives in Seoul on official visit

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here on Friday, kicking off his three-day official visit to South Korea.
This is Wen's second visit to South Korea since 2007 and his first visit to the country since China and South Korea established strategic cooperative partnership in 2008.
Wen is also scheduled to attend the third trilateral summit of China, Japan and South Korea in the southern resort island of Jeju.
The Chinese premier will hold talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak later Friday, and will also meet with Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Hyong-o and Prime Minister Chung Un-chan during the visit.
South Korea is the first leg of Premier Wen's four-nation Asia tour, which will also take him to Japan, Mongolia and Myanmar.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said at a news briefing ahead of Wen's visit that China hoped to speed up the establishment of the free trade area (FTA) with South Korea and increase cooperation in education, science, culture and tourism.
China also hoped to enhance communication and coordination with South Korea in international and regional affairs, Zhang said, adding that trade cooperation agreements would also be signed during Wen's visit.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xinsen said as good neighbors, China and South Korea had made joint efforts to achieve rapid and all-round development of the bilateral ties since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Two-way cooperation had been broadened and enhanced, he said. China is the largest trade partner, export destination country and import market for South Korea, while South Korea is the third biggest trade partner for China.
The two countries also worked closely when the world was hit by the global financial crisis, Zhang said, citing the bilateral currency swap accord involving some 28 billion U.S. dollars, in an effort to safeguard regional and global financial stability.

South Korea stages anti-submarine drill amid tensions

Breaking News: China joins talks on Korea crisis

China’s premier visits South Korea as Seoul urges stronger action by Beijing against North Korea over the sinking of a ship.

North Korea rips up safeguard pact with South

North Korea has said it will rip up a military pact aimed at preventing naval clashes with the South amid mounting tensions in the region. The latest tit for tat measure came as South Korean warships carried out anti-submarine drills, to better detect intrusions.
Seoul blames Pyongyang for the torpedoing that sank one of its vessels and killed 46 sailors in March. Despite an international probe saying otherwise, the North vehemently denies the allegation.
Kim Jung il’s regime has warned of war if Seoul presses ahead with sanctions but for the moment South Koreans are still crossing the border at a joint factory complex in the North.
With relations sinking to the worst level in more than a decade a massive rally was also held in Seoul to denounce Pyongyang’s recent threats.
Most experts say neither side is ready to go to war but warn there could be more skirmishes, especially along their disputed sea border. There are also fears the conflict could be accidentally escalated.

US Offers Iran, North Korea "Clear Choice" Of Engagement Or Isolation

The United States will Thursday offer Iran and North Korea a "clear choice" in its new national security strategy, accept U.S. offers of engagement, or face deep isolation over their nuclear programs.
"Both nations face a clear choice," the document says, calling on North Korea to eliminate its nuclear weapons and for Tehran to meet its international obligations on its atomic program.
"If they ignore their international obligations, we will pursue multiple means to increase their isolation and bring them into compliance with international nonproliferation norms."

S Korea holds anti-submarine drill as tensions grow

The South Korean navy is conducting a major anti-submarine drill, amid renewed tensions with North Korea over the sinking of a southern navy ship in March.
The South Korean news agency, Yonhap, says 10 warships are taking part in the drill. Anti-submarine depth charges and naval guns are being tested.
An international investigation last week found that the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, was sunk by a torpedo from the North, but this has been denied by Pyongyang.
South Korea's one-day submarine exercise, taking place off the west coast town of Taean, follows the sighting of South Korean K1 tanks on Tuesday conducting an exercise to prepare for a possible surprise attack by North Korea.
The BBC's John Sudworth, in Seoul, says it is one of the first visible signs of a raising of South Korea's defence posture in response to the incident.
The surveillance of the North, using satellites and spy planes, is also reported to have been stepped up and more naval drills are planned, some involving US forces, says our correspondent.
South Korea's close ally, the United States, has said it intends to hold large-scale military exercises between its troops stationed in South Korea, and the South Korean armed forces. It has not yet announced a date.
Analysts have said none of the states involved wants to escalate military tensions, but South Korea and its allies want to find a way to restrain the North and prevent it from conducting further attacks.
North Korea denies any involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan. Response
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has just visited the region, said the international community must respond in the growing crisis over the sinking of a South Korean warship.
She said there was "overwhelming" evidence that North Korea was to blame, and urged Pyongyang to halt its "policy of belligerence".
SINKING OF CHEONAN - KEY DATES Continue reading the main story
March 26: Explosion hits naval corvette near disputed maritime border, killing 46 on board
May 20: Independent investigators produce proof North Korean torpedo struck vessel
May 24: South Korea declares trade with North frozen, demands apology
May 25: North Korea announces it is severing all ties with South Korean propaganda fight How South Korean ship was sunk Q&A: Cheonan sinking Timeline: North Korean attacks
"This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond," Mrs Clinton said.
She also urged China, a close friend of North Korea, to stand firmly with the international community on the issue.
"I believe that the Chinese understand the seriousness of this issue and are willing to listen to the concerns expressed by both South Korea and the United States," Mrs Clinton said on Wednesday.
"We expect to be working with China as we move forward in fashioning a response."
Officials travelling with Mrs Clinton, on her visits to Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, say they believe that China appears to be moving closer to South Korea's position.
Analysts have predicted China will refrain from publicly chastising the North but could seek a discreet way to communicate widespread concerns to the North.
China's new ambassador to Britain has said his country's top priority at present is to avoid a violent conflict between North and South Korea, and guarantee stability in the region.
Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun earlier said his country was still evaluating information on the sinking of the Cheonan.
South Korea has meanwhile announced a package of measures, including a halt to most trade. It is also seeking action via the United Nations Security Council.
North Korea announced late on Tuesday that it was cutting all ties with the South. It has also banned South Korean ships and planes from its territory.
It has said it will close the last road link between North and South if South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts of propaganda across the border resume.
With tensions rising rapidly, the North has reacted angrily to trade and shipping sanctions announced by the South.
The two states are technically still at war after the Korean conflict ended without a peace treaty in 1953.

South Korea seeks UN action against Pyongyang for sinking of warship

An international team of investigators says that a North Korean submarine sank the 1,200-tonne Cheonan. Photograph: Hong Jin-Hwan/AFP/Getty
South Korea will take Pyongyang to the UN security council as part of measures it will pursue over the sinking of a warship blamed on a North Korean torpedo attack, officials said today.
An international team of investigators announced last week that a North Korean submarine had fired a homing torpedo on 26 March, tearing apart the 1,200-tonne Cheonan and killing 46 sailors on board. North Korea called the investigation results a fabrication and warned that any retaliation would trigger war.
South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak, is to address the nation tomorrow on the "clear armed provocation" by North Korea and disclose his resolve to take "stern" action against the regime, according to his press adviser, Lee Dong-kwan.
The president will announce what measures South Korea plans to take against North Korea on its own and in co-operation with the international community, the adviser said.
The president "will also speak about referring [North Korea] to the UN security council", he said.
It is unclear what measures Seoul would solicit from the security council. In general, punitive measures against a country involved in provocative acts include economic sanctions and adopting a statement condemning its acts, a presidential official said on condition of anonymity.
The president will also announce that South Korea will take all available "strong counter-measures" if North Korea engages in further provocations, the adviser said.
Those measures may include large anti-submarine drills with the US near the site of the sinking, resuming propaganda broadcasts near the land border, drastically scaling back the remaining economic exchange programmes with the North, and barring North Korean vessels from its waters.
Any such action is certain to draw an angry response from the North, which has stepped up its war rhetoric in recent days over the sinking.
"The army and people of [North Korea] will never pardon the group of traitors getting hell-bent on confrontation and war [and who] dare taking issue with fellow countrymen," the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary today, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
It threatened to "crush" South Korea, calling its report on the Cheonan sinking an "enormous fabrication".
The two Koreas are still technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The tension comes amid a visit to the region by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state. Clinton is in China where she faces a diplomatic struggle to win Beijing's support for penalising its ally for the sinking.
In Tokyo on Friday, Clinton said the evidence was "overwhelming" that North Korea was behind the sinking, and that the reclusive communist country must face international consequences.
She is expected in Seoul on Wednesday.