-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
- The Pentagon press folks are starting to get nervous. That is a not so trivial sign of events in #koreas less than 20 seconds ago via Twitter for Android
- W7VOA #ROK artillery drill on Yeonpyeong set to begin in 90 mins. & to last 2 hrs per defense officials here. #Koreas 7 minutes ago via TweetDeck Retweeted by Galrahn and 24 others
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news...04500315F.HTML
N. Korea calls for unity as tension soars along sea border with S. Korea
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) - North Korea called on its people on Monday to unite in a campaign "to oppose war and uphold peace" as tension soars along the western sea border ahead of South Korea's planned artillery drills.
The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, argued that doing so is "crucial to keeping alive the fate of the Korean nation and rooting out the deepening danger of war," saying the situation on the peninsula is "running toward the brink of war."
The nine-paragraph editorial could be a call for internal unity as South Korea prepares to conduct a live-fire drill off its western frontline island that North Korea shelled last month. It may also be an excuse to justify Pyongyang's action should tension along the inter-Korean border turn more serious.
North Korea has vowed to retaliate with "deadlier" firepower should South Korea go ahead with the drill, which, according to officials, is set to take place at 1:00 p.m. or later on Monday.
North Korea does not respect the de facto Yellow Sea border that the bombarded island is located about 10 kilometers away from. Its foreign ministry said any shells fired from Yeonpyeong are bound to fall on its side.
On Monday, the United Nations Security Council failed to work out a statement that would pressure the divided Koreas to stop the escalation of border tensions. U.S. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is in North Korea in a last-minute effort to defuse the tension.
Two marines and two civilians were killed when the North bombarded Yeonpyeong on Nov. 23. South Korea imposed a travel ban on North Korea the following day even though exceptions have since been allowed to prevent a halt in production at their joint industrial complex in the North. Seoul said Sunday no exceptions will be allowed until the tension surrounding Yeonpyeong subsides.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/egalite_twitted
It feels surreal to see on TV a Korean lady beaming a lovely smile as she forecasts fog will clear up on Y'pyeong ahead of live-fire drill. 4 minutes ago via web
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
Global Strike Command issued special alert in preparation for #korea drill on Dec 18. 1 minute ago via Twitter for Android
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
Amateur radio affiliate 'Sky Watchers' in Guam reporting 'unusually heavy USAF traffic' at Anderson Air Force Base. 3 minutes ago via Twitter for Android
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/...122000935.html
S.Korea to Switch DMZ Floodlights Back On
The military has decided to switch on a floodlight tower at Aegibong Peak on the western frontline for the first time in seven years, amid fears that the North is getting ready to shoot at the contraption.
"We've recently detected signs of the North Korean military watching the tower" at the mouth of the Han River in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province "as if they are preparing to shoot at it," a government source said Sunday.
About a dozen North Korean officers and soldiers at a time have lined up to watch the tower through binoculars as South Korean personnel prepared to switch it on.
The floodlights were turned off when top brass from the two Koreas agreed to stop propaganda activities along the military demarcation line in June 2004. But in the wake of the North's sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in March and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, the military decided to resume their operation as part of psychological warfare.
The tower is intact and is expected to be switched on Tuesday. The military suspects that North Korean soldiers will take pot shots at the tower with their rifles once that happens.
englishnews@chosun.com / Dec. 20, 2010 11:42 KST
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/...20101220000673
Gov't to create citizen volunteer unit to beef up civil defense
The Korea Herald
2010-12-20 12:03
The government will create a new civil defense corps next year consisting of volunteers from women and middle-aged men, as part of efforts to beef up the nation's defense posture in the face of North Korea's constant military threats, the home affairs ministry said Monday.
All able-bodied men in South Korea must fulfill about 24 months of military service and are required to serve in the reserves for seven years after completing their active duty. Males aged 20-40 who were not drafted for military service or who complete reserve service are recruited for service in Civil Defense Corps to protect lives and property of civilians during wartime and natural disasters. The existing corps has 3.93 million members nationwide.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security said the new civil defense corps will be established by September with about 30,000 volunteers, including men in their 40s or older, technicians and women who do not belong to the incumbent Civil Defense Corps.
The so-called "Volunteer Civil Defense Corps" will have a similar role as the regular civil defense corps -- local reconnaissance and reporting, organization, guidance and control of the people -- according to Kim Hyeong-ho, an official of the National Emergency Management Agency.
He noted that the volunteers will also be in charge of helping recovery and rescue operations and maintaining communications systems during wartime and natural disasters.
Female members, in particular, will be put to various volunteer activities, such as providing free laundry and meal services to residents of disaster-hit areas, Kim said.
The latest plan to beef up civil defense came amid rising cross-border tensions triggered by North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean island in November, which killed four.
The home ministry reported the new civil defense plan and other major policy goals for 2011 to President Lee Myung-bak in a briefing session at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
Other key policies envisioned by the home ministry included the establishment of a pre-warning system for financially unstable local administrations and the creation of about 50,000 new public jobs nationwide for the unemployed youth and the needy.
In addition, police will create a team of "anti-terrorism on-site inspectors" to intensify surveillance on potential terrorist attacks.
In a measure to help stabilize financial conditions of local governments, the government said it will bar financially unstable local administrations from issuing bonds and build a pre-warning system for detecting danger in the financial health of local administrations.
The government will introduce a smartphone-based system for finding locations of children and elderly citizens on a real-time basis next year.
To encourage the use of bicycles as a means of environment-friendly transportation, the government will build a 225 kilometer-long national bike path and designate 10 hub cities of bike riding, the ministry said.
(Yonhap News)
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/W7VOA
Yonhap: 2 #ROK destroyers forward deployed in Yellow Sea. AFP: #ROK Air Force readied in case of #DPRK attack. #Koreas 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
- Gordon Chang on CNN - all the elements for casualties on a scale of WWIII are possible. #koreas 4 minutes ago via web
- Gordon Chang on CNN predicting no response tonight, North Korea will respond at a later date of their choosing 5 minutes ago via web
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
Great quote from a friend who is in the know and will go unnamed: "If North Korea has radar, they see us very clearly right now." less than 20 seconds ago via web
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/W7VOA
Steve Herman from Twitter:
It's 1313KST here -- no confirmation yet that artillery drill has commenced on Yeonpyeong. #Koreas 1 minute ago via TweetDeck
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
Both Sejong the Great class destroyers (large South Korean AEGIS destroyers) reported in Yellow Sea near disputed islands half a minute ago via web
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
Interesting to note Korean tensions have captured the Asian Markets, all are down half a minute ago via web
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/W7VOA
Steve Herman from Twitter:
CNN: #DPRK tells NM Gov. Richardson in Pyongyang it would allow return of IAEA inspectors to ease tensions. 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/editor...12/602749.html
US destructive role in Northeast Asia
Source: Global Times
09:09 December 20 2010
The protracted US backing of a vindictive South Korea has pushed the peninsula to the brink of war.
The reaction from the North, when faced with a live-fire artillery drill by South Korean forces on Yeonpyeong island, is predictable. Should the South proceed, a major military conflict cannot be ruled out.
This would spell out the worst scenario resulting from poor political judgment and lack of restraint from both sides. Apart from aimless bravado that may win plaudits from domestic supporters, there is nothing to gain for either side from a confrontation in which millions would suffer.
The US is thus not playing a responsible role. Despite its special envoy being sent to Pyongyang for dialogue, its support of these drills are only pushing North Korea to the edge.
While claiming to be standing guard for the South Korea, the US in fact will do the greatest harm to the South.
The escalation of the Korean crisis is bad news for China or Russia. However, tensions on the peninsula will provide the US, which is to blame for worsening intra-Korean relations, with a perfect excuse to "return to Asia."
It is time to take a closer look at the damaging power of the US role in Northeast Asia. At this critical moment of war and peace, Asian countries need to escape a Cold War mentality and maintain regional interests at heart.
US President Barack Obama has won a Nobel Peace Prize. If a second Korean war should break out during his second term in office, a war he did nothing to prevent, would his aura of peace be shattered?
No matter what China and the US do, the most important objective of all is for South Korea to keep a clear head. Should war break out, the biggest losses would be borne on the South. Despite support from the US and Japan, and sympathy from China and Russia, nobody would take those losses for South Korea. No matter what happens, it is impossible for South Korea to reunite the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea should also be mindful that a war will never fix the country's difficult straits. No matter how objectionable it may view negotiating and building a rapport with other countries, the North has to take this path.
As for China, it does not want to see any major crisis on the Korean Peninsula. But China is never going to bend to any challenge from outside. Should the troubled waters of the peninsula wet China's feet, somebody else may already be drowning.
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/W7VOA
CNN: #DPRK tells Richardson it agrees to ship fuel rods out of the country. #Koreas 3 minutes ago via TweetDeck
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201012190107.html
China to establish permanent Senkaku patrols
BY KENJI MINEMURA CORRESPONDENT
December 20, 2010
SHANGHAI - China will permanently deploy large fisheries patrol vessels in waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, a senior Chinese official told The Asahi Shimbun.
The official with the Ministry of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries took the unusual step of granting an interview concerning the Senkaku issue to a foreign media outlet on Saturday, saying that China was planning measures to challenge Japan's control of the islands off Okinawa Prefecture.
The official said fisheries patrol vessels of more than 1,000 tons would maintain continuous patrols near the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu Islands in China.
"It is a legitimate right to safeguard China's maritime interests, and the country is unlikely to relax the arrangement in the future," the official, who granted the interview on condition of anonymity, said.
In late November, China deployed the new 2,580-ton Yuzheng 310, one of the few large fisheries patrol vessels in its fleet, to the islands.
The official called the decision to deploy the ship, which was only completed in September, in waters also patrolled by the Japan Coast Guard an "unprecedented and epoch-making step."
The Yuzheng 310 is equipped with two helicopters and is the fastest in China's fisheries patrol fleet, with a top speed of 22 knots.
The Japan Coast Guard has deployed several patrol vessels of more than 1,000 tons to the islands, after the arrest by Japan of a captain of a Chinese fishing trawler who rammed two Coast Guard vessels off the Senkaku Islands led to a major diplomatic row between the two countries in September.
It designated the area a special zone and put its headquarters in charge, rather than offices on Ishigaki island or the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha under whose jurisdiction the islands fall. Vessels from across Japan have been dispatched to the area.
But a senior Japan Coast Guard official said current arrangement would not be sufficient to respond to constant patrols by China near the islands.
China's 1,300-vessel fisheries surveillance fleet's activities include protecting and managing Chinese fishing boats and monitoring foreign ships in waters over which China claims jurisdiction.
Most of these vessels are relatively small. China only possesses nine patrol ships of more than 1,000 tons. Some are converted naval ships and many are old.
China is planning to build about five new patrol vessels of more than 3,000 tons within five years, but the official said the fleet is not currently equipped to maintain constant surveillance near the Senkaku Islands alone. To deal with the shortage, China will commission private fishing boats to operate as patrol boats in the area in a joint effort by "the government and the private sector."
The official said Beijing intends to press its claims over the islands and disclose details of its surveillance activities to other countries.
The Senkaku Islands are in the East China Sea, to the north of Taiwan, but China is also taking a hard-line on its interests in the South China Sea south of Taiwan. Convoys of Chinese patrol vessels and fishing boats began surveillance there this spring.
The official said China's territorial claims in the South China Sea were a "core national interest" on a par with the issues of Taiwan and Tibet, which China sees as vital to its territorial integrity.
"(The South China Sea) has consistently been one of China's core national interests," said the official. "China had merely not insisted on this to other countries."
This stance had given the international community the mistaken impression that "China is not very keen on its maritime interests," the official said.
China is trying to assert its control in waters within what it calls the "First Island Chain," a series of islands stretching from the main island of Kyushu to Vietnam, and has its eye on underground mineral resources, fisheries and other maritime interests within this "inland sea."
It is building up its navy in line with its increasingly assertive maritime stance, with aircraft carriers and a base for nuclear-powered submarines already under construction.
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/Galrahn
markmackinnon Damn I wish I could read Korean. KBS just cut from drama to breaking news. Only thing I can read is F-15s and KF-16s. 6 minutes ago via web Retweeted by Galrahn and 4 others
-
Re: North And South Korea On The Brink Of War, Russian Diplomat Warns
http://twitter.com/W7VOA
#ROK defense ministry tells VOA just now artillery drill still on for some time today. #Koreas 1 minute ago via TweetDeck