#news : Tensions Persist on Korean Peninsula

South Korean marines stand guard near its military base on Yeonpyeong Island Nov 27, 2010. [Photo: Agencies]

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States went ahead with a scheduled naval drill on Sunday, despite protests and concerns from the divided Korean Peninsula and elsewhere amid dangerously high tensions on the peninsula.

NAVAL DRILL DRAWS PROTESTS, WARNINGS

The high-profile four-day war games, involving the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier George Washington plus a cruiser, three destroyers, a naval patrol ship and an antisubmarine warfare aircraft, was meant to show a "commitment to regional stability through deterrence," according to a statement from the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The drill, kicked off in waters west of the peninsula only five days after an exchange of artillery fire between the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), "demonstrates the strength" of the alliance between Seoul and Washington and is designed to improve the two nations' military interoperability, it added.

U.S. and ROK militaries said the exercises were "planned well before" Tuesday's skirmish, but they decided to go ahead with it despite protests from South Korean civilians, warnings from the DPRK and concerns expressed by China and other countries.

A news photo issued by ROK's Yonhap News Agency showed that a group of South Koreans held a rally in front of the Yongsan U.S. military base in Seoul on Friday, condemning the participation of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the joint naval drill.

In Pyongyang, the DPRK's official KCNA news agency denounced the drill on Saturday, warning that if "the U.S. brings its carrier to the West Sea of Korea at last, no one can predict the ensuing consequences."

In another article issued on Friday, the agency said the U.S.-ROK drill is pushing the Korean Peninsula "to the brink of war."

"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the reckless plan of those trigger-happy elements to stage again the war exercises targeted against the DPRK," it said.

China on Friday expressed its opposition to any military operations in its exclusive economic zone without permission, including the drill.

"We hold a consistent and clear-cut stance on the issue. We oppose any party to take any military actions in our exclusive economic zone without permission," said a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei.

The Chosun Sinbo newspaper published in Tokyo, Japan, also warned on Saturday that the drill may bring about a "catastrophic situation."

The Philippine government said Thursday it is "worried" over the joint U.S.-ROK naval drill, saying it might further escalate tensions on the peninsula and endanger the security of thousands of Filipinos living and working in ROK.

TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH

Tensions are still high on the Korean Peninsula after the DPRK and the ROK exchanged artillery fire on Tuesday in waters near the disputed sea border known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

During the incident, shells landed on the ROK's Yeonpyeong Island near the NLL, leaving four South Koreans dead, while damages to the DPRK have yet to be verified.

The so-called NLL, which was declared unilaterally by the U.S.-led United Nations Command after the 1950-1953 Korean War, remains a source of tensions and skirmishes between the two sides of the peninsula.

South Korea holds the NLL as the de-facto western inter-Korean border, but the DPRK rejected the NLL and only recognized the demarcation line it drew in 1999, which was further south of the NLL.

Seoul and Washington dubbed latest incident as a "unprovoked artillery attack "by the DPRK, but Pyongyang said it was a U.S. "plot."

The official KCNA news agency said on Saturday the United States was "the arch criminal who deliberately planned the incident and wire-pulled it behind the scenes," so that it "could bring the above-said nuclear carrier to the West Sea of Korea."

While blaming the DPRK for firing first, Seoul and Washington have reportedly raised their surveillance alert against the DPRK by a notch to the second-highest level, Watchcon 2.

On Saturday, Yoo Nak-jun, top commander of the ROK Marine Corps, vowed a "hundred- or thousand-fold" retaliation against the DPRK.

President Lee Myung-bak has ordered ROK troops to bolster defense on the Yellow Sea islands while toughening rules of engagement to allow the ROK military to swiftly "hit back with greater force."

ROK military also said the ongoing naval drill will be "more intensive" than originally planned, as participating troops will conduct live-fire shooting and bombing exercises, Yonhap reported.

In Pyongyang, a spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement released on Friday that the DPRK army and people are fully ready to give a shower of dreadful fire and blow up the enemies "if they dare to encroach again upon the DPRK's dignity and sovereignty even in the least."

REPEATED CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

The escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula prompted repeated calls from the international community for restraint and calmness.

In line with its unremitting efforts to promote peace and stability of the peninsula, China has been engaged in intensified diplomatic efforts to bring the situation under control.

Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo arrived in Seoul on Saturday and exchanged views with ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on the current situation on the peninsula.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi discussed the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula in separate phone calls with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara.

Yang told them that concerned parties should urge the DPRK and ROK to exercise calmness and restraint and hold dialogue and make contacts, and not to take actions that would escalate the conflict.

He said all parties should work together to help cool the situation as soon as possible and make sure to prevent the recurrence of such conflict.

Lavrov said Russia agreed with China on the latest situation and was ready to keep close contact with China to help defuse the tensions on the peninsula and create conditions for a restart of the six-party talks.

Maehara said that Japan is willing to work together with China to jointly safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and push forward the denuclearization process of the Peninsula.

On Friday, Yang met with Chi Jae Ryong, Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to China, and held phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.

"The pressing task now is to put the situation under control and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents," he said.

The DPRK, the ROK and the U.S. sides elaborated on their views on the current situation, and expressed the importance they attached to China's stance and their willingness to maintain contacts with the Chinese side.

The Cambodian government issued a statement on Saturday expressing concerns on the situation in Korean Peninsula and calling for a resumption of six-party talk.

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) on Friday urged all governments concerned to exercise maximum self-restraint and refrain from unusual military movements that will increase tensions and lead to greater mutual distrust on the Korean Peninsula.

Russia's Lavrov on Thursday urged both Pyongyang and Seoul not to take any steps that may result in further loss of human lives.

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