Korean Peninsula On The Brink Of War

[BRVoice]

One nuclear backpack makes Seoul sea of fire; NK residents
The Korea Times - 12-15-2010 15:24

North Korean soldiers and residents have mentioned the possibility that nuclear weapons may be used against South Korea amid the recent radical claims of “nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula” by the North, Open Radio for North Korea reported Tuesday.

Earlier, Nodong Sinmun, a mouthpiece paper of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, reported that “the betrayal of South Korea has heightened the tension between the North and South and created dark cloud of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula.”

“We will make Seoul a sea of fire without fail if anyone invade our territory, airspace and waters even by 0.001 millimeter,” Uriminzok, the Internet site of North Korea’s Commission for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland, also said on Nov. 28

According to the radio, an inside source of North Korea said that there are rumors spreading among North Korean residents that “Seoul could be a sea of fire when we detonate a nuclear bomb brought in a backpack and then immediately South Korea surrenders.”

A man, who participated in the military drill at the Samjiyeon Airport on Nov. 25, said an Air Force officer had also made a similar remark. “We can win with only one nuclear weapon.”

Such a remark came when several soldiers questioned during the drill, “Isn’t it problem that (fighter jets) could not be used due to lack of fuel.”

“Why do you say such a thing although you know all?” an officer said. “We don’t need good jets. Nuclear weapons are all. We can win (with nuclear weapons) when our General is with us.”

There are mixed opinions about the existence of nuclear backpacks in the North. Most of experts have the opinion that North Korea has no technology to make the nuclear weapons to the smaller size of backpack as it has yet to make the nuclear head smaller for missiles.

However, some have presumed that 48 of the 132 nuclear backpacks were lost when the Soviet Union got disbanded and several of them seemed to come into the North. As a result, they claimed that they could not rule out the possibility of the North to use the nuclear backpacks.

The nuclear backpack is officially called “special atomic demolition munitions” which commandos carry on their back to penetrate deep into the enemy’s rear area to hit air force bases, dams and other important buildings.

The backpack weighs about 30 kilograms, ranging in power fro 10 tons of TNT to 1 kiloton. The nuclear bomb, which exploded in Hiroshima, Japan, during the second World War, was equivalent to 12 kilotons of TNT in destruction power.

The radio said it has become apparent that the North could threaten a nuclear war against the South although it is hard to conclude that the North may actually use the nuclear weapons, when all the recent inside information is taken into account.

[BRVoice]

This report is from the KCNA, the Official News Site of North Korea:



Yonphyong Island Shelling Branded as Provocation to DPRK

Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities have misled public opinion by asserting that the recent case of the Yonphyong Island shelling occurred due to the DPRK. This is nothing but a revelation of the scheme to dodge their criminal responsibility for the grave military provocation and finally ignite a war of aggression against the DPRK by kicking off another armed clash on a larger scale.

Rodong Sinmun Tuesday says this in a signed article.

Terming the shelling incident a provocation to the DPRK as it was carefully worked out in advance and deliberately perpetrated by the south Korean warmongers under the wire-pulling of the U.S. from A to Z, the article goes on to say:

The gravity of the incident finds itself in the fact that it was an intentional firing to kick off the military clash with the DPRK and a premeditated provocation aimed at thoroughly destroying the inter-Korean relations and igniting a war of aggression against the DPRK.

This is clearly evidenced by the racket for confrontation and war frantically staged by the puppet forces with the incident as a momentum.

The puppet group, in collusion with the U.S., has already worked out various scenarios for preemptive attack on the DPRK and is watching for a chance to put them into practice. What remains for them to do is to kick off a tremendous armed provocation going beyond the Yonphyong Island shelling and then ignite another Korean war.

The south Korean bellicose forces can never take issue with the legitimate self-defensive countermeasure taken by the DPRK nor can they dodge the blame for having committed the hideous provocation to drive the Korean Peninsula into touch-and-go situation.

It is a pipedream for the south Korean authorities to seek a way out in doing harm to the fellow countrymen by force of arms with help of foreign forces. Their desperate moves for confrontation with the DPRK and provocation to unleash a war against it will only reveal their bellicose nature before the entire nation and the world.

[BRVoice]

This report is from the KCNA, the Official News Site of North Korea:



US Imperialists' Crafty Psychological Warfare Assailed

Pyongyang, December 14 (KCNA) -- The U.S. imperialists are waging a vicious psychological warfare on the basis of modern science and technology after designating the anti-imperialist independent countries as targets of their attack, observes Rodong Sinmun Tuesday in a signed article.

It is the national policy of the U.S. imperialists to conduct the above-said warfare by use of modern scientific and technological means, the article notes, and goes on:

They worked out a detailed plan for psychological warfare in advance against those countries which they had designated as targets of their attack and included it in the "state general strategy and political tactics" in a bid to push it forward in a coordinated manner in political, economic, diplomatic, military and other fields.

U.S. intelligence gathering bodies and their affiliated institutions are now busy widely using modern scientific and technological means for the psychological warfare. A huge amount of money is now being allocated for this and plots are being hatched to make a maximum use of it in practice.

The U.S. imperialists' criminal psychological warfare teaches a bitter lesson to the anti-imperialist independent countries.

Now that the above-said warfare is getting more frantic as the days go by it is necessary not to neglect the ideological education of the people and youth and children, in particular, even a moment.

The present IT age calls for channeling big efforts into the development of science, technology and IT. This provides an important way for effectively countering the U.S. imperialists' psychological warfare.

It is also necessary to strengthen the education aimed to help the people properly understand the methods, danger and harmfulness of the above-said warfare.

Only when the anti-imperialist independent countries stand firm against the said warfare, can they protect the sovereignty of the country and nation and emerge victorious in the anti-U.S. struggle.

[American Patriot]

A man, who participated in the military drill at the Samjiyeon Airport on Nov. 25, said an Air Force officer had also made a similar remark. “We can win with only one nuclear weapon.”

This is, and has been my greatest fear. The people of Seoul do not deserve this. And there won't be any winners because the North will be bombed into oblivion - and if we don't bring out own nukes into play (or someone else) I will be surprised.

If the North pulls something like that, all bets are off. I couldn't say who will win, lose or draw on this one. But, it surely won't be us staying out of the fight.

[BRVoice]

U.S., South Korea to plan more exercises, respond to North as necessary, top commander says
By Ashley Rowland
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 15, 2010


SEOUL — The U.S. and South Korea will meet future North Korean attacks with the “utmost response” available that “the laws of land warfare permit,” the top U.S. military officer in the country said Wednesday night.

In some of his first public remarks since North Korea’s bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island on last month, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Walter Sharp said the allies will plan more exercises to prepare for both limited assaults and full-scale attacks from the North.

“Though involving less loss of life than the attack on the Cheonan, the North’s attack on the northwest island (of Yeonpyeong) crossed significant thresholds and represented a worrying trend towards more frequent and more violent provocations,” Sharp said at a dinner for the East Asia Institute at the Shilla Hotel.

The Nov. 23 artillery assault killed four people and marked the North’s first attack on civilians since the Korean War. It was the second attack against the South this year: A North Korean torpedo sank the warship Cheonan in March, killing 46 sailors.

Sharp said the U.S. and South Korea must “find ways to change North Korea’s strategic calculus and end the cycle of provocation.”

“It’s difficult to determine exactly why North Korea engages in attacks and provocations,” he said. “but it’s likely a complex mix of motives and objectives are operating, including an effort to buttress regime legitimacy and a cohesion among the elites as well as shore up succession while addressing policy goals.”

Since the attack on Yeonpyeong, top U.S. officials have called for China to increase its pressure on North Korea to curtail its provocations and end its nuclear program. North Korea revealed a new uranium enrichment facility last month.

Sharp did not directly address the safety of the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed on the peninsula, but touted the benefits of a slowly expanding tour normalization program that allows more servicemembers to bring their families to South Korea. U.S. troops have typically served one-year unaccompanied tours in South Korea, but approximately half of the troops will eventually be stationed there with their families on two- and three-year tours.

“There is no reason that families should not be here in Korea,” said Sharp, adding that North Korea’s attacks had strengthened rather than weakened the decades-old U.S.-South Korea military alliance.

Earlier in the day, U.S. ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens told the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea that “the United States stands firmly with the Republic of Korea,” and said the two countries had been working closely through military and diplomatic channels to develop plans to respond firmly to North Korean attacks.

In response to criticism from an audience member that the U.S. bears responsibility for the division of the peninsula, Stephens said it was her “deepest desire” to see the peaceful, democratic reunification of the two Koreas.

“It is a tragedy, I agree with you, that here in the 20th century we still have unfinished business, and that unfinished business is to achieve a Korean peninsula that is whole, free and at peace,” she said.

rowlanda@pstripes.osd.mil

[BRVoice]

Blitzer headed to North Korea
By: Anchor of CNN's "The Situation Room" Wolf Blitzer
December 15th, 2010

Beijing, China (CNN) - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson arrived here just a little while ago - a short layover on the way to Pyongyang, North Korea.

I am traveling with him covering his four day private visit to North Korea. I've been to China and South Korea - including the DMZ - but never to North Korea and am looking forward to seeing it.

It's certainly a tense time on the Korean peninsula. Richardson, a former United Nations Ambassador and Energy Secretary, has been there several times and has good contacts. He was invited there by the North Koreans. He's hosted a North Korean delegation in New Mexico.

He will join me in The Situation Room today 5-7 p.m. ET from Beijing to preview the trip. We will also assess China's role in calming the nuclear tensions and speak with a U.S. expert who himself has just returned from North Korea with some very disturbing information.

[BRVoice]

I know that this article is off-topic, but to me is very important in face of the situation in Korean peninsula:


Sidestepping the U.S. Dollar, a Russian Exchange Will Swap Rubles and Renminbi
By ANDREW E. KRAMER
Published: December 14, 2010
The New York Times

MOSCOW — Russia and China are poised to take a small but symbolic step in their expanding economic relationship, a move that in the long term could make the dollar less relevant to business between the two nations.

On Wednesday, a Moscow securities exchange is scheduled to open direct trading between the Chinese currency, the renminbi, and the Russian ruble. If the market develops, it could eventually cut the dollar out of a portion of Russian and Chinese trade.

Although China’s business with Russia is only a sliver of what it does with the United States, there is room to grow: Russia is the world’s largest energy exporting nation, and China a big consumer as the world’s second-largest economy, behind the United States. And yet when a railroad tanker of Russian oil crosses the border into China, the transaction is settled in dollars.

The new currency exchange is meant to start changing that. The trading system will operate through the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange, or Micex, which is Russia’s largest stock exchange and also handles foreign currency transactions. It will be the first trading in the Chinese currency outside mainland China and Hong Kong.

“We are pioneers,” a Micex spokesman, Nikita N. Bekasov, said in a telephone interview. In the long term, if other nations moved in the same direction, trading in renminbi outside China could diminish demand for the dollar. Chinese companies exporting to Russia or other countries could instead buy local currency directly, without the need for dollars as a common currency to conduct their business.

The initial volumes on the Russian exchange, though, are expected to be tiny. And they will be tailored to serve Russian banks with clients doing business in China, rather than speculators wishing to build up a portfolio in renminbi, anticipating that its value will appreciate. The United States is among Western nations that have pressured China to let the renminbi appreciate.

Initially, the Micex renminbi-ruble session will last one hour each morning, timed for trading with banks in Russia’s Far East near the Chinese border, many time zones ahead of Moscow.

Exchange officials say they expect only several million renminbi, or about half a million dollars, to change hands daily. The trade is reciprocal, as China in November opened an exchange for rubles and renminbi in Shanghai.

“It has symbolic value,” said Peter Westin, the chief economist at Aton, a brokerage firm in Moscow.

The development coincides with the opening of a trans-Siberian oil pipeline that is expected to expand Russia’s trade with China by freeing up railroad capacity for exports of coal, metals or other commodities, and could make it easier to do business along the remote border.

Cutting the dollar out of this emerging bilateral trade has been a policy goal of the Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, who wants to establish the ruble as a reserve currency held by central banks, to diminish its volatility.

“If China places some part, even a small part, of its reserves in rubles, this is a major boost to the global fortunes of the ruble,” Yaroslav Lissovolik, chief economist at Deutsche Bank in Moscow, said in an interview.

“Clearly the dollar will remain the key pillar of the global financial architecture,” Mr. Lissovolik said. “But this is one of the ways some of the emerging markets want to raise the profile of their currencies.”

The initial daily trading session is mostly intended to test the market and the settlement systems for the Chinese currency, whose export is restricted by Chinese capital controls, the Micex spokesman, Mr. Bekasov, said.

Renminbi are hard to obtain outside China, because of Beijing’s anticipation that their value will rise if China succumbs to American pressure to liberalize its currency. Several banks from China, which will be identified at the opening session on Wednesday, have agreed to support liquidity on the Russian market by providing renminbi, Mr. Bekasov said.

The Micex has a history of establishing market rates between currencies: It opened in January 1992, just a few weeks after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as a trading platform for banks wanting to create a market-based exchange rate between the dollar and ruble.

To mark Wednesday’s occasion, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, plans to strike the opening bell at Micex and then attend a celebratory brunch.

“We thought about trying to make Chinese food,” Mr. Bekasov said of the planned festivities, “but instead decided to make Russian food because it would be more interesting for the Chinese.”

[BRVoice]

Guys, I think this fire is very suspect, especially because of all the tension going on


Midnight fire damage on beltway around Seoul estimated at 1.3 bln won: authority

BUCHEON, South Korea, Dec. 14 (Yonhap) - The damage from a late night fire at an outer beltway around Seoul was estimated at 1.3 billion won (US$1.1 million), authorities said Tuesday.

The fire broke out at a parking lot below the highway in Bucheon, in the southwest outskirts of the capital, at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, setting ablaze 39 vehicles, four containers as well as protective walls of the highway.

The National Emergency Management Agency in Gyeonggi Province estimated that the property loss would amount to some 1.3 billion won, including 300 million won of real estate and 1 billion worth of assets.

The blaze was put under control after an hour and a half, and no casualties were reported. Local authorities closed down the road for security inspections to be conducted until Thursday.

Police and fire officials suspect the blaze started with a 25-ton tank truck parked at the lot and spread to other cars. They said they were searching through the scene to determine whether it was caused by arson.


Vehicles are on fire under a highway near Bucheon, in the southwest outskirts of Seoul, on December 14. (Yonhap)


ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

[BRVoice]

From Steve Herman on Twitter:

In response to question about #ROK air raid drill, US State Dept. spokesman says Seoul "taking appropriate actions in its self-defense." 39 minutes ago via web

[BRVoice]

Military promotes officers in reshuffle after N. Korea's attack

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry announced Thursday the promotions of 111 senior military officers as part of a major reshuffle following criticism that the military responded feebly to North Korea's artillery attack last month.

The promotions follow the resignation of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hwang Eui-don, who quit this week amid allegations over his controversial property investment. His successor, Third Army Commander Gen. Kim Sang-ki, was due to take office later in the day.



Navy V. Adm. Kim Jeong-du was named deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Army Lt. Gen. Shin Hyun-don was promoted to head the Special Warfare Command.

As part of the reshuffle, Army Col. Song Myung-soon was promoted to a brigadier general, becoming the nation's first one-star female officer among female combatant officers, the ministry said in a statement.

Seventy-five Army officers, 14 Navy officers and 22 Air Force officers were promoted and appointed to key military posts.

"With the personnel reshuffle, the military strives to build strong armed forces that can fight and win by further ensuring combat readiness," a senior ministry official said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain tense after North Korea bombarded the border island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea on Nov. 23, killing two civilians and two marines.

The military has been under fire for its perceived weak response to the artillery attack. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has vowed to use air power against the North if attacked again.

kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)

[BRVoice]

Strategist tapped for top Army post
DP blasts choice of general from president’s hometown
December 16, 2010
JoongAng Daily

Following the abrupt resignation of the Army chief of staff, Gen. Kim Sang-ki, commander of the Third Army, was nominated yesterday to fill the post, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.

Hwang Eui-don applied to retire from his position as chief of staff Tuesday after the media reported that he had invested in real estate based on inside information from the Army. Hwang’s retirement made him the shortest-serving top Army commander in the nation’s history.

“General Kim was selected because of his expertise in the military and his ability to push forward reform,” the Defense Ministry said yesterday. “He was also believed to be the best candidate to improve the morale and discipline of the Army and beef up the troops’ will to fight.”

The 58-year-old general is a native of Pohang, North Gyeongsang. He graduated from the Korea Military Academy in 1976 and served key posts in the military. Before his appointment as commander of the Third Army, he served as deputy minister in charge of policy making at the Ministry of National Defense in 2009.

According to the ministry, Lt. Gen. Lee Hong-ki, the head of military operations headquarters at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was selected to succeed Kim to head the Third Army. Lee was also promoted to general.

The ministry said the nominations were to be confirmed today at a cabinet meeting. President Lee Myung-bak will formally appoint them in the afternoon.

The ministry will also give the president today a list of officers to be promoted to brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general and announce it to the public. The top brass reshuffle is to be completed by Friday.

The promotions were initially scheduled for Dec. 2 but were delayed after North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island last month and the subsequent replacement of the defense minister.

Kim Sang-ki’s promotion quickly drew criticism of regional favoritism. Democratic Party spokeswoman Cha Young said yesterday that chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force are all from the Gyeongsang regions. “Kim is even from the same hometown and high school as the president,” Cha said. “It now appears that a military officer cannot be promoted unless he is from the same hometown as the president. This is lamentable.”

A Defense Ministry official dismissed the criticism. “Capability and expertise are the keys,” he said. “A person’s hometown is not a part of our consideration.”

The promotion of Lieutenant General Lee to head the Third Army also faced criticism as he had been criticized for poor performance during the Yeonpyeong Island shelling. “We had enough reviews and reached a conclusion that his performance was appropriate at the time,” the ministry official said yesterday, defending the decision. “He is a man who has special knowledge in operations. We believe he is the best man to maintain the country’s readiness in the current security situation.”

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]

[BRVoice]

The calm of the past two days to me is very worrying, It's almost like the two sides are taking positions, I don't know. Something tells me this is not over.

[BRVoice]

Steve Herman from Twitter:

1. RT @kaedotcom: Through various media, North Koreans are increasingly aware of the outside world. #DPRK 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck
2. My latest VOA report: RT @VOA_Seoul: ROK to hold artillery exercise on Yeonpyeong as soon as Saturday #Korea 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck
3. DPRK gov't statement claims U.S. |"systematically breached all international agreements calling for peace & stability on Korean Peninsula." 11 minutes ago via TweetDeck
4. DPRK: U.S. keen on stirring up war atmosphere on Korean Peninsula while persistently sidestepping proposals for dialogue w- preconditions. 14 minutes ago via TweetDeck
5. KCNA (N. Korea): #DPRK favors dialog but "will never beg for it." #Koreas 34 minutes ago via TweetDeck
6. Xinhua: NM Gov. Richardson arrives in Pyongyang. #DPRK #Koreas about 3 hours ago via TweetDeck

[BRVoice]

ALERT!!!

S. Korea to stage live-fire drill on border island shelled by N. Korea

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Thursday it plans to hold a live-fire artillery drill this week or early next week on a front-line island devastated by North Korea's bombardment last month, in what would be the first such maneuver on Yeonpyeong Island since the attack.

Some 20 military personnel from the U.S. forces in South Korea will help South Korean troops in the one-day drill to be held between Saturday and Tuesday by providing medical, communications and intelligence support, officials said.

Members of the Military Armistice Commission of the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC), which supervises the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, will also observe the upcoming drill.

"The military decided to hold a one-day live-fire drill on Yeonpyeong Island between Dec. 18 and 21," said Col. Lee Bung-woo, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). "The exact timing of the drill will be fixed later after considering weather and other relevant conditions."

The JCS spokesman said artillery guns in the planned drill will be aimed away from the North, as usual.

"U.S. forces from the U.S. Forces Korea are participating in the defensive live-fire exercise with approximately 20 U.S. forces members proving commanding control, medical, communication and intelligence support to the live-fire exercise that would be going on," Col. Robert Givens, deputy chief of military operations for the USFK, told reporters.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in the South, a legacy of the Korean War.

Col. Kurt Taylor, secretary of the UNC commission, said, "This is a routine training and it is a routine observation that the United Nations Command provide to ensure the armistice compliance."

"It is normally scheduled by request of the United Nations Command for the areas being observed," Taylor said, adding that the UNC has observed the South Korean military's trainings on a regular basis and the "armistice agreement applies to all territory in Korea of land, sea and air."

North Korea justified its Nov. 23 attack on Yeonpyeong near the tense Yellow Sea border by claiming it was a retaliation to a similar drill by South Korean troops during which the South dropped shells into its waters.

The South's military said it was conducting a routine drill at the time of the attack, accusing the North of staging a premeditated and inhumane military aggression that killed two civilians and as many marines.

Since the attack, the South's military has delayed its pre-scheduled live-fire drill on Yeonpyeong, citing concerns about the safety of the island's remaining residents and weather conditions.

When asked about the safety of some 120 residents on Yeonpyeong, Lee said, "They will be advised to leave the island before the drill starts. If some of them want to stay, they will be taken to shelters before the drill."

Lee said the South's military "will firmly and strongly respond" should North Korea attempt provocations during the drill. He declined to give details on military assets that will be mobilized for the drill.

Days after the Nov. 23 attack, South Korea and the U.S. staged four days of large-scale naval drills off the Yellow Sea with a nuclear-power U.S. aircraft carrier taking part. The South's military has also conducted naval firing drills off all three coasts since the bombardment, but none have taken place near the Yellow Sea islands.

North Korea has warned of "a merciless counter-attack" if South Korean shells intrude into its territorial waters during the drills.

The attack on Yeonpyeong marked the North's first strike on a civilian area in the South's territory since the end of the Korean War. Most of the some 1,300 residents on the fishing island fled to the mainland after the attack.

To beef up defense on Yeonpyeong, which has a base for the marines, the JCS has deployed surface-to-air missiles, more K-9 self-propelled howitzers and 130-millimeter multiple-launch rocket systems.

North Korea fired about 170 artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong, and South Korean marines stationed on the island managed to fire just 80 rounds in return.

South Korean officials have vowed to hit back hard at the North, including the use of air power, if it attacks again.

The North's state media reported earlier Thursday that the country's top leader Kim Jong-il inspected a military unit, the first such visit since the attack on Pyongyang.

The report did not say when Kim made the visit.

Kim was "greatly satisfied to learn that the service persons of the unit are performing their guard duties in a responsible manner, keeping themselves highly vigilant against the aggressive moves of the U.S. imperialists," the North's Korean Central News Agency said.

kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)

[BRVoice]

U.S. governor in DPRK to discuss situation on Korean peninsula
English.news.cn - 2010-12-16 18:23:38

PYONGYANG, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said here Thursday that he would discuss the situation on the Korean peninsula with officials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

He told Xinhua upon his arrival at Pyongyang that he was very concerned about the current situation on the Korean peninsula.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

[BRVoice]

Yangkang Province Gets New 10th Corps
By Im Jeong Jin
[2010-12-16 17:29]
Daily NK

North Korea has created a new military body, the 10th Corps of the Chosun People’s Army, charged with security and order in Yangkang Province.

An inside source reported to The Daily NK on the 15th, “The foundation of the Yangkang Province 10th Corps was ratified in September in the name of the National Defense Commission Chairman,” and added, “Accordingly, the construction of the Corps Headquarters has been completed in the Chundong area of Hyesan.”

Hitherto, the 10th District Command of the Local Reserve Forces, a civilian reserve force, provided local protection in Yangkang Province. Its military strength was obviously inferior to that of North Hamkyung Province, which it neighbors. North Hamkyung Province has been guarded by the 9th Corps stationed in Chongjin on the east coast since it was created in 1995.

Even though the specific details of the makeup of the new 10th Corps have not emerged, it seems to consist of the 42nd Brigade (No. 1551 Base) stationed at Samsoo and the 43rd Sniper Brigade (No. 682 Base) at Gapsan, and brigades of the Local Reserve Forces in Pungsan and Wunheung. Additionally, and importantly, officers from the 9th Corps have been transferred to fill higher positions.

The source explained, “The number of enlisted soldiers increased during spring recruitment, but the number of officers was still inadequate, so the corps was formed with officers transferred from the 9th Corps. However, housing for military officers has not been completed yet, so there are still many living apart from their families.”

The Daily NK reported exclusively in September 2009 that the National Defense Commission was planning to reinforce the 10th District Command with 10,000 additional soldiers.

The source explained the possible background to the founding the 10th Corps, saying, “In fact, the value of military strength in Yangkang Province has dropped more than people think. Considering the fact that major strategic facilities such as Samjiyeon Airport, Samjiyeon Missile Base, Baekam Radar Base and Huchang Missile Base are all here, Local Reserve Forces are not sufficient to cover provincial defense.”

He added, “There is significance in the foundation of the 10th Corps, in that defense of a strategic position has been reinforced, and moreover may have the effect of coping with possible Chinese military moves which actually could occur,” and went on, “It might also have been a measure reflecting the concern which Pyongyang has had since its first nuclear test, whereby, ‘We don’t know when China will betray us.’”

Now, the North Korean military consists of nine official corps: the 1st Corps stationed in Hoiyang, Kangwon Province, 2nd in Pyongsan, North Hwanghae Province, 4th in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province and 5th in Pyeonggang, Kangwon Province, which cover the DMZ and the front line; and the 3rd Corps in Nampo, 7th in Hamheung, South Hamkyung Province, 8th Corps in Youngju, North Pyongan Province, 9th in Chongjin, North Hamkyung Province and the newly created 10th in Hyesan, Yangkang Province, which are in charge of rear defense.

As previously noted, the 6th Corps has not existed since shortly after an attempted coup in North Hamkyung Province in 1995.

Each corps consists generally of one or two combat brigades, three or four mechanized brigades and several battalions.

Besides these, there are special corps disguised as “training centers” in order to draw a veil over the reality, which is that in practice their military power is much greater than that of the general corps. While the first obligation of the general corps is local defense, these training centers are designed to push into the South.

Among the best known of these “training centers” are No. 425 Training Center stationed in Jungju, South Pyongan Province, No. 806 in Muncheon, Kangwon Province, No. 815 in Seoheung, North Hwanghae Province, No. 820 in Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province and No. 620 in Shinkye, North Hwanghae Province.

Additionally, there is the “Artillery Bureau” which conducts artillery attacks, “Education Bureau” designed to penetrate the rear of enemy lines, and “No. 91 Training Center”, Pyongyang Defense Command, which is charged with defending the capital.

[BRVoice]

North Korean leader makes first public visit to military unit since shelling
By Sam Kim

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- In his first public visit to armed forces since North Korea shelled a South Korean island last month, North leader Kim Jong-il inspected a military base and expressed satisfaction over its combat readiness, official media said Thursday.

Kim was accompanied by his third son and heir apparent, Kim Jong-un, and the chief of general staff, Ri Yong-ho, while visiting Korean People's Army Unit 2670, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. As customary, the report did not give the date of the inspection, but official media usually carry coverage of Kim's public activities a day or two after they occur.

The inspection came amid persisting tension between the two Koreas after the North bombarded the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea on Nov. 23 and killed four people, including two marines and two civilians.

North Korea claims it fired after South Korea shot shells toward its territory in a U.S.-backed plot to trigger another war on the peninsula. The South denies the charge and has condemned the shelling as an inhuman crime for which it will make the North pay, prompting Pyongyang to vow "merciless" retaliation if provoked.

The KCNA did not identify the role or location of the unit Kim Jong-il visited, only saying, "He was greatly satisfied to learn that the servicepersons of the unit are... keeping themselves highly vigilant against the aggression moves of the U.S. imperialists and their stooges," an apparent reference to the South.

The visit is the 68-year-old leader's first publicized one to a military base since Nov. 12.

The report came as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson headed for North Korea on a private trip aimed at taming regional tensions sparked by the Nov. 23 bombardment. It remains uncertain whether the former U.N. ambassador, who has made numerous trips to Pyongyang, will be allowed to meet with the North Korean leader.

South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

[BRVoice]

From egalite_twitted:

1. #NKorea draws the line as Bill Richardson lands in Pyongyang. "We support all proposals for dialogue, but will never beg for it," it says. about 3 hours ago via web.
2. Adding to tension, activists plan to fly anti-NKorea leaflets from Yeonpyeong island as early as tomorrow. #NKorea certain to be irritated. about 4 hours ago via twtkr
3. Swift general-level promotions followed by plan to stage risky live-fire drills near grim inter-Korean border. Military sure seems busy. about 4 hours ago via twtkr

[vector7]

South Korea moves to boost ties with China in wake of North Korea attacks

South Korea announced that it is boosting funds related to initiatives with China. The move comes after North Korea's attack on an island last month.



South Korean Christians with national flags participate in a special service denouncing North Korea's Nov. 23 bombardment on the Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 16.
Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo

By Nissa Rhee, Correspondent / December 16, 2010 Seoul, South Korea Seoul is pressing once again to bolster its relationship with China after North Korea’s attack on a small South Korean island in the Yellow Sea last month, in what appears to be a retreat from its defense-heavy approach.
Skip to next paragraph

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has announced that it is increasing its annual China-related budget next year to 3 billion won ($2.6 million), a nearly eight-fold increase from this year's 390 million won ($340,000). The government is hoping that the increase will send a clear message to China that after a period of tense relations – which included a series of naval drills that irked Beijing – it is ready to talk.
The new budget will cover task forces that tackle anti-Korean sentiment in China and a new China Center that will bring together academics and politicians to craft stronger diplomatic policies. Additionally, a bilateral strategic dialogue between the two nations will advance from the vice-ministerial to the ministerial level.

"For our country, relations with China have been taking an increasingly important place in security and stability on the Korean Peninsula and our prosperity," Yonhap News Agency quoted Seoul’s foreign minister, Kim Sung-hwan, as saying at the opening of the China Center yesterday.
"Close cooperation between the two countries is essential on issues related to North Korea and nuclear and other North Korea issues."

President Lee first worked to improve ties with China in 2008 when he met with China’s President Hu Jintao and declared a “cooperative strategic partnership” between the two countries. Korea's influence with China has suffered in the past two years, however, as the Lee administration prioritized strong ties with the United States over its Asian neighbor. Lee’s move away from the so-called “Sunshine Policy” of his predecessors, which favored engagement and the giving of aid to North Korea, also strained relations.

South Koreans learned just how tenuous this partnership was after the recent provocations from the North.

“With that naming of the new relationship, people in South Korea believed that China would be more forthcoming and assertive in reining in North Korea, particularly with respect to the North’s nuclear program,” says Chung Chong-Wook, who served as South Korea’s ambassador to China between 1996 and 1998. “But when the Cheonan incident happened [the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March, which the South attributed to North Korea], China’s attitude was far contrary to the public’s expectation in South Korea. China embraced North Korea all the way, and that was quite a shock to South Korea.”
Page: 1 | 2

[vector7]

US Official Lands in North Korea