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North Korea resumes firing artillery
amid tension
WARLIKE: Analysts say the North is trying to ratchet up
pressure because it wants to sign a peace treaty that would end the state of war
that has existed since 1950
AP, SEOUL
Friday, Jan 29, 2010, Page 5
ˇ§Itˇ¦s again confirmed that the North Korean regime is a warlike group that
easily disrupts peace with an armed provocation though it often talks about a
peace treaty.ˇ¨ˇX Dong-a Ilbo newspaper
North Korea fired more artillery near its disputed western sea border with South
Korea yesterday, a day after it lobbed dozens of shells during military
exercises that prompted the South to respond with warning shots.
North Korea fired several artillery shells early yesterday that are believed to
have landed in its waters, an official at Seoulˇ¦s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy, said
South Korea did not respond, but was closely watching the Northˇ¦s maneuvers.
The poorly marked sea border ˇX drawn by the US-led UN Command at the end of the
Korean War ˇX is a constant source of tension between the two Koreas. Their
navies fought a skirmish in November that left one North Korean sailor dead and
three others wounded, and engaged in bloodier battles in the area in 1999 and
2002.
It was the first exchange of fire between the two Koreas since Novemberˇ¦s
skirmish and could be aimed at raising tensions to emphasize that the peninsula
remains a war zone and push for a treaty formally ending the 1950 to 1953 Korean
War.
South Korea and the US have insisted that North Korea return to nuclear
disarmament talks before any treaty can be concluded.
The North previously had announced two no-sail zones in the area, including
some South Korean-held waters, through March 29.
On Wednesday morning, North Korea fired about 30 artillery rounds into the sea
from its western coast and South Korea quickly responded with 100 warning shots
from a nearby marine base, Seoulˇ¦s Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff
said.
The North fired more shells later on Wednesday and issued a statement saying it
was part of an annual drill and that it would continue. No casualties or damage
were reported.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley criticized the North
on Wednesday for raising tension, saying the no-sail zone designation and the
firing were ˇ§provocative actions and, as such, are not helpful.ˇ¨
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell also urged the North to rejoin the
six-nation nuclear talks to achieve security and international respect.
ˇ§Provocative actions such as those that we saw yesterday are clearly not part of
that path,ˇ¨ he said.
North Korea says that it was compelled to develop nuclear weapons to cope with a
military threat from the US.
The US and North Korea have never had diplomatic relations because the Korean
War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically at
war. North Korea, the UN Command and China signed the cease-fire, but South
Korea never did.
North Korea is said to believe a peace treaty with the US would provide security
and status, help ensure the survival of its government and give it a stronger
hand against rival South Korea. A treaty could also raise the question of
whether the US needs to maintain about 28,500 troops in the South ˇX a legacy of
the war.
ˇ§Itˇ¦s again confirmed that the North Korean regime is a warlike group that
easily disrupts peace with an armed provocation though it often talks about a
peace treaty,ˇ¨ South Koreaˇ¦s mass-circulation Dong-a Ilbo newspaper said in an
editorial yesterday.
It said South Korea should bolster its defenses against North Korean aggression.
US President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address on Wednesday night,
mentioned North Korea as an example of US diplomatic efforts to clamp down on
states pursuing nuclear weapons.
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