Text Fwd: What's Happening on the Korean Peninsula?

* Text forwarded from Steve Zeltzer on Jan. 17, 2011

Korea Policy Institute
What's Happening on the Korean Peninsula?
Marty Hart-Landsberg* January 14, 2011

What's happening on the Korean peninsula? If you read the press or listen to the talking heads, your best guess would be that an insane North Korean regime is willing to risk war to manage its own internal political tensions. This conclusion would be hard to avoid because the media rarely provide any historical context or alternative explanations for North Korean actions.

For example, much has been said about the March 2010 (alleged) North Korean torpedo attack on the Cheonan (a South Korean naval vessel) near Baengnyeong Island, and the November 2010 North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island (which houses a South Korean military base).

The conventional wisdom is that both attacks were motivated by North Korean elite efforts to smooth the leadership transition underway in their country. The take away: North Korea is an out-of-control country, definitely not to be trusted or engaged in negotiations.

But is that an adequate explanation for these events? Before examining the facts surrounding them, let's introduce a bit of history. Take a look at the map above, which includes both Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong Islands.

The armistice that ended the Korean War fighting established the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates North Korea from South Korea. At that time, the U.S. government unilaterally established another dividing line, one intended to create a sea border between the two Koreas. That border is illustrated on the map by line A, the blue Northern Limit Line (NLL).

As you can see, instead of extending the DMZ westward into the sea, the U.S. line runs northward, limiting North Korea's sea access. The line was drawn this way for two reasons: First, when the fighting stopped, South Korean forces were in control of the islands off the North Korean coast and the U.S. wanted to secure their position. Second, control over those islands enhanced the ability of U.S. forces to monitor and maintain military pressure on North Korea.
North Korea never accepted the NLL. It argued for an alternative border, illustrated by line B, the red West Sea Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Acknowledging the reality of Southern forces on the islands off its coast, North Korea sought recognition for a sea border that went around the islands but otherwise divided the sea by extending the DMZ line.

READ MORE

Text Fwd: The United States Can and Should Stop the Escalation

* Text sent from Steve Zeltzer on Dec. 19, 2010
Korea Policy Institute
The United States Can and Should Stop the Escalation
Paul Liem December 18, 2010

In the wake of live artillery exchange between North and South Korea
on November 23, 2010 resulting in the deaths of four South Koreans on
Yeonpyeong Island, the United States and South Korea are planning once
again to conduct live artillery exercises, starting today through
Tuesday, from Yeonpyeong Island, and surrounding areas, in spite of
repeated warnings by Pyongyang that it will again, retaliate.

"Second and third self-defensive blows that cannot be predicted will
be dealt" if the exercises go forward, North Korea warned South Korea
earlier today, according to North Korea's Korean Central News Agency
(KCNA). "The intensity and range of the firepower will create a
situation more serious than the one on Nov. 23," North Korea's
military said.

Efforts by China and Russia to convince the United States and South
Korea to cancel the live artillery exercises have not borne fruit as
yet. Thus there remains the possibility of an outbreak of fighting in
the disputed waters of the West Sea. The possibility that the fighting
might spread uncontrollably beyond the West Sea cannot be discounted.

The Yeonpyeong Island, and several others in the area, lay just south
of the "Northern Limit Line" (NLL) which follows the west coast of
North Korea just 3 nautical miles from shore. The line, which was
drawn unilaterally by the United States after the Armistice, is not
recognized by North Korea. Since the early 1970s the international
community has recognized 12 nautical miles as the conventional
offshore territorial boundary.

The live artillery drills will take place in South Korean territory,
based on the Northern Limit Line, 3 miles off coast, but within North
Korean territory based on the 12 nautical mile convention. Hence, the
characterization, "disputed waters," often employed to describe the
location of deadly naval clashes in the West Sea which occurred in
1999, 2002, 2009, last March and November.

In their article on the history of the NLL, Bloomberg, 12/17/2010,
Daniel Ten Kate and Peter Green report that U.S. officials believed
that the NLL was "contrary to law." "Then-Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger wrote in a 1975 classified cable that the unilaterally drawn
Northern Limit Line was 'clearly contrary to international law.' Two
years before, the American ambassador said in another cable that many
nations would view South Korea and its U.S. ally as 'in the wrong' if
clashes occurred in disputed areas along the boundary," they reported.

The live artillery drills are widely viewed as military posturing by
the administration of South Korean President, Lee Myung Bak, however
the South Korean armed forces remain under the command of the United
States. Ultimately the finger on the trigger for the planned live
artillery firing, weather permitting, is that of President Barack
Obama. At the same time New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson, is in
Pyongyang reporting that North Korea wishes to restart the six party
talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and replace the Korean War
Armistice with a peace treaty. China and Russia are also calling upon
the United States and South Korea to restart diplomacy. After two
years of pursuing a policy of "strategic patience" to contain North
Korea, it appears that President Obama is facing a stark choice
between War and Peace in northeast Asia.

In the event that fighting breaks out on the Korean peninsula we urge
our readers to question efforts to indict North Korea as being solely
responsible for provoking the military clashes in the West Sea. This
is clearly not the case. The U.S. and South Korea are recklessly
pushing tensions on the peninsula to the brink of war as well.
President Obama can and should put a stop to the escalation. We cannot
again, blindfolded, be marched off to war. A good way for readers to
begin learning about the background to recent fighting in the West Sea
would be to read the full Bloomberg article by Kate and Green, and to
study the map of the disputed boundaries in the West Sea that
accompanies their article and which is republished above.

Photos Fwd: Rally: Let's Make the West Sea into the Sea of Peace 집회: 서해를 평화의 바다로

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* Related blog 관련 블로그

Friday, December 10, 2010
Poster Fwd: [Dec. 11] Anti-War Peace Rally, "Let's make the West Sea into the Sea of Peace!"
반전 평화 대회: 서해를 평화의 바다로! (12.11)
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'한국진보연대, 민주노동당, 민주노총, 평화와 통일을 여는 사람들 등은 11일 오후 4시 서울 종로구 보신각 앞에서 '서해바다를 평화의 바다로'를 모토로 반전평화대회를 개최했다.'

'Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements, Democratic Labor Party, Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea staged the anti-war peace rally with the motto of 'Let's make the West Sea to the Sea of Peace' at 4pm, at the center of Seoul on Nov. 11, 2010.'

* Image source: 김철수 기자
Kim Chul-Soo, Voice of people, Dec. 11, 2010

* Image source: Kim Chul-Soo, Voice of people, Dec. 11, 2010

* Image source: Kim Chul-Soo, Voice of people, Dec. 11, 2010

The Korean peninsula of peace is likely to be sick.
The prevention vaccination for that can be done by June 15 and Oct. 4 statement.

이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다.

Click the image for larger view

The front of leaflet made by the Democratic Labor Party
and Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements (* scanned)

The West Sea is crying
War should be prevented!

이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다.

Click the image for larger view

The back of leaflet
'At such time, we should rather talk each other'

..............................................................

The result of the public polls (* translated from the part of the above poster)

Q: The cause of the Yeonpyeong-do provocation

-North Korean military build up from the [Kim Dae-Jung government’s] Sunshine policy : 39.4%
-Current [Lee Myung-Bak government’s hard-line policy on North Korea being driven to confrontation & tension phase: 51.3%

By the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), East Asia Institute, & Hankook Research on Nov. 27, 2010 (N=800)

Q: The solution for the tension in the West Sea would be:

- Settlement through dialogue: 56.8%
- Military power as priority: 35.0%

By the Social Trend Institute on Nov. 26, 2010 (N=1002)

..............................................................

According to the Korean statement by the SPARK, Nov. 30, 2010, that quoted the mention by the Yeonpyeong Island residents, they are demanding the conversion of the ROK government’s hard-line policy against North Korea to peace policy. The below is the translation of that quotation.

“Even though others say that the South Korea should chastise North Korea and spend more on the defense budget, they are saying that because they do not know our situation. What use of strong [military] response for the very Island residents who should go through things? Even only several years before, [* that was 2007] there was a plan to build the maritime freedom park in the Yeonpyeong-do to maintain peace in the five Islands of the West Sea (Yellow Sea), but with all those peace plans cancelled, such incident on [Nov. 23] eventually happened,”

..............................................................

"서해를 평화의 바다로" ( 김준철, 민중의 소리, 2010년 11월 11일)
"Let's make the West Sea into the Sea of Peace" (Kim Joon-Chul, Voice of People, Nov. 11, 2010)

[Site Fwd] [Korea Report] The Confrontation in the West Sea Area Begs Peaceful Settlement

* Arbitral English translations were added to an original Korean image

The agreed plan on the 'special peace and cooperation zone in the West Sea',
stated on Oct. 7, 2010 joint declaration

Joint-development-planned:
(1) Peace water and joint fishing area
(2) Haeju port
(3) Haeju factory zone
(4) Water area of Han River mouth
(5) Direct sea route to Haeju
(* translated)

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Korea Report
Nov. 24, 2010
November 24, 2010
The Confrontation in the West Sea Area Begs Peaceful Settlement

Guns have flared again dangerously in Korea -- in Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea (Yellow Sea), within the disputed maritime border area between the two sides of Korea. Despite North Korea's claim that its action was in retaliation to its vocally-protested South Korea's naval exercises in the region, the North Korean military was wrong to fire its artillery directly at the island, hitting both military and civilian targets, resulting in military and civilian casualties and substantial damage to the island. This in turn prompted South Korea to return artillery fire to the North Korean shore.

This confrontation is one of many deadly clashes that has occurred in this area, due to the long-standing dispute arising from the unsettled vestige of the Korean War and the fragility of its armistice, which still stands to this day -- 57 years after its signing. Unlike the land-based DMZ agreed upon by the Korean War armistice, the maritime border was not clearly delineated. The UN command then unilaterally created the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which encroaches dangerously close to North Korea's shores in the area (just 7.5 miles from Yeonpyeong Island to North Korea) -- and which expectedly North Korea does not acknowledge.

The above photo shows an outline of the proposed "Special Area for West Sea Peace Cooperation" around the NLL, agreed as a part of the October 4, 2007 Joint Declaration(* See the below) by then-President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea and Chairman Kim Jong-il of North Korea. The shaded, numbered areas indicate proposed areas of cooperation and development for joint peaceful usage such as joint fishery and economic zone, with the idea of promoting inter-Korea collaboration instead of continuously engaging in deadly military standoff in the area. Had this agreement been implemented by the succeeding administration of President Lee Myong-bak, the clashes in the West Sea would have surely been prevented. Lee administration's other hardline policies toward North Korea did not help the situation.

With Washington's refusal on North Korea's request for direct talks and Seoul's denouncement of the Sunshine Policy of inter-Korea rapproachement, Pyongyang may have hastily and dangerously gambled on a dramatic attempt to get the issue in the front burner of the world stage, along with its recent revelation of uranium enrichment activities. If all parties agree that escalation of the current crisis needs to be prevented to avoid an all-out war and its unimaginable destruction and casualties, all avenues towards a peaceful settlement must be pursued. In this spirit, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter responded quickly to the current crisis, calling for engagement with North Korea. On the other hand, the usual repetition of show of military force using joint U.S.-South Korea exercises including a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier in the West Sea will not be conducive to this path.

1 comments

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See
October 4, 2007 Joint Declaration

Part of NO. 5
'The South and the North have agreed to create a “special peace and cooperation zone in the West Sea” encompassing Haeju and vicinity in a bid to proactively push ahead with the creation of a joint fishing zone and maritime peace zone, establishment of a special economic zone, utilization of Haeju harbor, passage of civilian vessels via direct routes in Haeju and the joint use of the Han River estuary. The South and the North have agreed to complete the first-phase construction of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex at an early date and embark on the second-stage development project.'


About Korean activists' statement on Hecker report and defense Minister Kim's remark on redeployment of nuclear weapon in the Korean peninsula, see HERE


See also
Bruce Gagnon's Organizing Notes blog
Tuesday, November 23, 2010


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Text & Photos Fwd: SWAT and KF-16 for G 20? G20 으로 특공대와 전투기 츨동?

* Image source:Kim Tae-hyung, Hankyoreh, Nov. 8, 2010
'Police commandos stand guard in front of the departures terminal near parked armored vehicle at Incheon International Airport , Nov. 7 '

Excerpt

'On Nov. 11 and 12, the two days of the G-20 Summit, some roads around Coex in Seoul’s Samseong neighborhood, the main summit venue, will be subject to traffic regulation. The public transport system will change significantly.

Assemblies and demonstrations will be totally banned in the Coex area starting on Nov. 8. The ban applies to an area designated as a G-20 body guarding and safety zone, which stretches from 1.1 to 2.2km outwards from Coex and includes Cheongdam Bridge, parts of the Han River itself, the Jamsil Olympic Complex, Cheongdam neighborhood and Samseong neighborhood. From this day, unstaffed mailboxes at principal subway stations such as City Hall and Chungmuro will also be completely closed.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) has raised the air security level at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae, Cheongju and Jeju airports, at which key figures will arrive, from their original “alert” to “red”. This is the first time MLTM has ever announced a “red” air security level, the highest among five.'

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Korea Times, Nov. 8, 2010
'An armored vehicle of Korean police’s special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team is deployed in front of Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, the venue for the Nov. 11-12 G20 summit, Monday. The military and police have boosted their security efforts to thwart any terrorist attempts during the world leaders’ gathering. / Korea Times'
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* Image source: same as the link

'ROK Air Force’s mainstay KF-16'

Korea Times
KF-16s to escort visiting heads of state
By Jung Sung-ki
11-08-2010

The South Korean military has been placed on the highest alert ahead of the G20 Seoul Summit later this week, bolstering its surveillance activities against any possible North Korean provocation.

The Air Force and Navy are ready to support the transport of foreign leaders near key airports, with KF-16 fighter jets expected to escort the planes of the world leaders.

A total of 43 planes carrying foreign leaders will arrive at Incheon International Airport, Kimpo Airport and Seongnam Airport, according to the G20 summit organizers.

Other fighter jets are to be on standby on the ground to conduct surveillance operations should any sign of a terrorist attempt be detected, Air Force officials said.

Ground-to-air missile defense units are also being readied to shoot down enemy targets.

When a VIP vehicle is on the road, the traffic on adjacent routes will be stopped, while armed helicopters hover overhead and gunships will patrol the Han River.

The joint surveillance by the South Korean and U.S. militaries of North Korea has been raised, while troops are on the highest alert over possible North Korea provocation near land and sea borders, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Military forces will also be deployed to airports, venues and main roads for the summit, subway stations and other public facilities in the planned three-fold defense lines, the JCS said.

About 60,000 police and troops will be mobilized as security support for the summit slated for Nov. 11 and 12.

“The G20 summit is a very important event like the 2002 World Cup games,” a JCS officer said. “But we remember that a deadly gun battle occurred in western waters off the Northern Limit Line (NLL) during the World Cup. We should not have a repeat of that kind of tragedy.”

The military is preparing for eight scenarios of North Korean provocation, including an infiltration into the NLL and the Demilitarized Zone, the officer said.

The military is also bracing for terror attacks using improvised explosive devices, poison gas, and cyber attacks, he added.

Local police have also gone on heightened alert ahead of the G20 summit.

Trash cans in stations on subway lines 1 through 4 have been temporarily removed until Nov. 12 to prevent terror attacks, and mail and parcel drop boxes will be temporarily unavailable starting Monday.

Metal detectors are being installed around COEX, the summit venue, to scan cars entering the area. Police refused around 200 applications for rallies near COEX over the next week and have stepped up patrols to quell sudden protests.

Police presence at airports, harbors, power supply stations, water supply facilities and subway and train stations where pedestrian traffic is heavy will be beefed up.


G20 VIP 전용기 영공 진입부터 KF-16호위

군 당국은 G20을 3일 앞두고 경계수위를 최고로 격상하는 한편 북한에 대한 감시 강화를 높이고 있다.

해군과 공군은 G20참석차 서울을 방문하는 해외 지도자들을 호위하기 위해서 만반의 준비를 하고 있다.

해외 지도자들의 전용기가 한국 영공에 진입하는 순간 공군의 KF-16전투기는 호위를 시작한다.

총 43기의 전용기가 인천과, 김포, 성남 공항에 도착할 예정이다.

영공에서 호위가 이루어지는 동안 지상 공군 기지에서는 혹시 모를 테러 공격에 대비해 출격을 준비하게 된다.

방공포 부대 역시 경계태세를 강화하고 있다.

VIP차량이 이동하는 동안에는 근처 교통이 통제되며 무장 헬기가 선회비행하며 호위하고 한강에는 무장한 보트들이 대기할 예정이다.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: N.Korea reiterates innocence, offers evidence 북한, [천안함 사건에 대해] 무고함 재주장하며 증거 제출

* Image & caption source: same as the link

Andong University Professor Jeong Gi-yong analyzes the makeup of the substances adhering to the hull of the Cheonan, Oct. 21. (Photo by Ryu Woo-jong)

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* 북에서 보낸 진상 공개장 전문은 여기서 보실 수 있읍니다.(클릭)
* You can see the whole letter from NK, here(Sorry, only Korean available now)
____________________________________________________

Hankyoreh
N.Korea reiterates innocence, offers evidence
: Analysts say the move is to deflect the S.Korean precondition for diplomatic talks that N.Korea admit responsibility and apologize
By Son Won-Jae, staff writer
Nov. 3, 2010

North Korea reiterated its innocence of involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan Tuesday and announced that it was prepared to present the South with a fragment of the steel alloy used in Korean People’s Army torpedoes as proof.

In a “National Defense Commission Review Team Open Letter” announced Tuesday through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea stated that its torpedoes were not made of aluminum alloy like the fragment salvaged from the site of the sinking off Baengnyeong Island, but “are juche-style torpedoes made with steel alloy materials.”

“By announcing that the torpedo fragment purportedly salvaged from the waters off Baengnyeong Island where the Cheonan sank was from a Northern torpedo, the U.S. empire and the Lee Myung-bak gang of traitors contradicted their own North Korean torpedo attack theory,” the letter continued.

The letter also dismissed the evidence of the “1 beon” (No. 1) scrawled on the torpedo propeller as “preposterous evidence.”

“Our weapons industry sector does not inscribe necessary numbers with a pen when making components or machinery, it engraves them, and even then it uses the term ho (number), not beon,” it stated.

The review team also made point-by-point refutations of the other pieces of evidence cited by the Joint Investigation Group in its final report, including the formation of a water column, an aluminum-based material attached to the hull, the possibility of stranding, thermal optical device (TOD) video materials, and a torpedo diagram. The team criticized the JIG’s investigation findings as “a concoction.”

The team also said, “If the U.S. and the gang of traitors continue to run amok in a riot of anti-republic antagonism, making a lot of noise about the Cheonan incident, we will have second and third revelations about the true nature of this fabrication.”

Analysts believe North Korea’s new announcement of this open letter by the NDC review team is intended as a refusal of recent South Korean demands for North Korea to admit responsibility for the Cheonan sinking and apologize as a precondition for moving forward with inter-Korean relations.The North previously held a conference for foreign and domestic press in May to refute the South Korean findings on the sinking.

Meanwhile, the South’s navy fired warning shots to drive a North Korean fishing boat away from the tense Yellow Sea border, military officials said Wednesday.

The warning shots were fired earlier in the day when the boat violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL) border, an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

　　Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: Seoul fires warning shots at NK boat 서울 북한 선적에 경고 사격

* Image source: click HERE

Korea Times
Seoul fires warning shots at NK boat
11-03-2010
By Jung Sung-ki

South Korea's Navy fired warning shots to drive away a North Korean fishing vessel that crossed the tense maritime border in the West Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday.

Ten shots were fired as a warning after repeated loudspeaker broadcasts ordered the North Korean vessel to retreat, said a JCS spokesman said.

It was not clear why the vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the early morning and why it remained in southern waters for nearly two hours, the officer said.

“The North Korean boat returned north of the NLL as of 9:57 a.m., and there have been no other unusual activities by the North's military,” he told reporters.

Ties between the two Koreas sank to their lowest level in decades after a South Korean warship was torpedoed in the same area off the west coast in March, killing 46 sailors.

[...]

North Korea disputes the sea border which was drawn up by the United Nations Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The waters off the west coast have been the scene of deadly naval skirmishes in the past that have resulted in the deaths of sailors on both sides.

[...]

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* Related blog

Thursday, May 28, 2009
Text Fwd:[Cheong Wooksik, Peace Network] North Korea’s Stronger Repulsion against the PSI…The West Sea is Dangerous

Text Fwd: N.Korea and S.Korea to discuss pressing military issues this month

'A North Korean soldier takes pictures of South Korean and UN Command soldiers across the border line at the truce village of Panmunjom on July 27, the 57th anniversary of the armistice agreement. (Yonhap News Agency)'

Hankyoreh
N.Korea and S.Korea to discuss pressing military issues this month
:Inter-Korean military working-level talks will likely address escalating military tension and the sinking of the Cheonan
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff writer
Posted on : Sep.20,2010 13:20 KST

South Korean Defense Ministry sent a message to North Korea on Sunday afternoon regarding the North’s proposal to hold inter-Korean military working-level talks on Sept. 24.

In its message, the Defense Ministry suggested holding the talks at the Peace House on the South Korean side in Panmunjom on Sept. 30, with the topic of responsible measures from North Korea on the Cheonan sinking as an item on the agenda. On Sept. 15, North Korea proposed holding these talks to discuss pending issues related to the execution of military agreements.

“We made it clear through our message that the issues of responsible measures from North Korea regarding the Cheonan attack, North Korean slander against South Korean authorities, and relaxing tensions around the West Sea Northern Limit Line will need to be discussed at these talks,” a Defense Ministry authority said Sunday. “The North Korean-proposed date for the military talks was too early," he added, suggesting South Korea has essentially agreed to hold the talks.

“The outcome of the inter-Korean military working-level talks will depend on how much of a good faith response there is from North Korea.”

South Korea appears to have responded to North Korea’s suggestion of inter-Korean military working-level talks to address issues such as the distribution of propaganda fliers to North Korea by South Korean private groups and the issue of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises by insisting Sunday that the issue of the Cheonan also be on the table and putting the ball back into North Korea’s court. The South government did not set an apology from North Korea for the Cheonan sinking as a prerequisite for the military talks.

The South Korean government hopes easing the military tensions between the two Koreas in order to host the G-20 Summit successfully in November and ease most South Koreans' complaint tired of the frozen inter-Korean ties.

The talks, if held, would help facilitate a thaw in inter-Korean relations that deteriorated to the worst level in years when both countries began to trade harsh accusations in May over the Cheonan sinking. The South Korean proposal comes two days after Red Cross officials of the two countries met in the North and discussed reuniting families separated by the Korean War.

In addition, the South Korean Defense Ministry will not designate North Korea as a “main enemy” in this year’s defense white paper, a notion reintroduced after six years to deal with growing military threats following the Cheonan incident, a senior military official said.

“The defense white paper will describe the North Korea threat about the same level as last year,” although minor changes were made to describe a recent situation, said the official who asked to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, North Korea has positioned some two hundred additional 240mm multiple launch rocket systems (MLRSs) north of the military demarcation line over the past year, according to military sources. These MLRSs, which can fire 12 rockets or 22 shells at a time, have a range of 60km, putting the greater Seoul metropolitan area within firing distance of an MLRS fired near the military demarcation line.

“Last year, North Korea put another 200 of its 240mm MLRSs near the military demarcation line,” a military source said Sunday. “According to South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, there are a total of around 5,300 North Korean MLRSs in battle position.”

North Korea is also known to have added 2,100 pieces of field artillery and around 300 tanks over the past year, bringing the totals possessed by the country to approximately 10,600 and 4,200, respectively.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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Korea Times
09-20-2010 15:44
Seoul not to describe Pyongyang as main enemy
By Jung Sung-ki

Excerpt:

This year’s defense white paper will not describe North Korea as the “main enemy” despite the sinking of the frigate Cheonan in March, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.

But the biennial defense report will depict the North as posing a grave threat to the security of the South, the official said.

Text Fwd: [PSPD] The PSPD's Stance on the Final Investigation Report on the Cheonan and the countering measures of the Lee Myung-bak administration

* Below are the excerpts of the three-part report by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy regarding the incident of the Cheonan ship. For the whole report of each part, please click the each title.

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[Cheonan Warship Report1]
The PSPD's Stance on the Final Investigation Report on the Cheonan and the countering measures of the Lee Myung-bak administration
2010/06/04

1. Brief on the Cheonan Incident

● The 1,300-ton patrol combat corvette (PCC) Cheonan sank splitted into two about 1 nautical mile off the southwestern coast of Baengnyeong-do(Island) near the NLL(Northen Limit Line) in the shallow water of the West Sea at the time estimated to be around 21:15 to 21:22 on March 26, 2010. At the time, the ROK and the U.S. forces were jointly conducting the annual field military exercise, Foal Eagle. Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command announced that the WMD (weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons) removal team involved in this military exercise just in case of North Korea's contingent situation.

● While the Ministry of Defense elaborated that the Cheonan was not mobilized directly related to the Foal Eagle exercise, Major Derek Peterson of the US Navy's 7th Fleet who was on the rescue mission for the sunken Cheonan stated in an interview with a Korean TV station on April 5, 2010 that the sinking occurred during the joint field exercise conducted by the ROK and the U.S. on a regular basis.

● Although 58 survived including the captain of the warship, 46 were either dead or missing. Strangely though, while the ROK military could not locate the vessel for 48 hours after sinking, a fishing boat equipped with a fish detector found the ship immediately after joining the search effort, raising distrust among the missing sailors' families.

___________________________________________________________

[Cheonan Warship Report2]
Eight Questions Needing Answers on the Investigation of the Sunken Naval Corvette Cheonan
2010/06/04

Question 1. Had been really a torpedo-induced water column?

Question 2. No such severe injuries evident of a torpedo explosion found in the bodies of survivors and deceased soldiers

Question 3. Is it true that there is no TOD recordings from the early stage of the Cheonan incident?

Question 4. There are no severe damages evident of an explosion on the severed surface, on the bottom of the ship and in the interior of the hull.

Question 5. Why the military concealed the finding and refloating of the gas turbine room? And why did they omit the investigation of the gas turbine room from investigating?

Question 6. Were the oxidized aluminum substances, not gun powder, evident of an explosion?

Question 7. What is the profile of the YONO class submarine? Is it understandable that the submarine had not been followed for several days by the ROK and the U.S. surveillance?

Question 8. Why couldn't a torpedo launch be detected?

This document summarizes the questions raised by the Center for Peace and Disarmament of People's Solidarity for Perspiratory Democracy (PSPD) on the report released on May 20, 2010 by the joint civilian-military investigation group (JIG) under the Ministry of Defense on the cause of sinking of the naval warship Cheonan.

___________________________________________________________

[Cheonan Warship Report3]
Six Problems on the Investigation Process of the Cheonan Sinking
2010/06/04

Problem1. The military not disclosing and censoring basic information on the Cheonan vessel

Problem2. Hiding of the TOD video-recordings of the Cheonan breaking into half and sinking and changing of words

Problem3. Imposing political and legal measures and restrictions against ordinary citizens raising doubts

Problem4. The JIG practically excluding civilians

Problem5. The JIG that limited investigative efforts by civilian members

Problem6. Unknown roles of the foreign investigators

Text Fwd: S. Korea, US to stage joint naval exercise next week

Korea Times

06-02-2010 19:21 S. Korea, US to stage joint naval exercise next week By Jung Sung-ki Staff reporter South Korea and the United States will stage a large-scale naval exercise in the West Sea next week, about two months after North Korea attacked a South Korean frigate there, officials of the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. Following the exercise to be held from May 8 to 11 in waters south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the navies of the two allies also plan to conduct a joint anti-submarine drill, they said. "After a multinational investigation pointed to North Korean involvement in the ship sinking, both governments agreed to show their firm deterrent against threats from the North," a ministry official said. The U.S. 7th Fleet will dispatch the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, as well as nuclear-powered submarines, Aegis-equipped warships and amphibious assault landing ships, the official said on condition of anonymity. Named after the first president of the United States, George Washington is the sixth ship in the Nimitz class. Commissioned in July 1992, she is best known for her huge size ― 233 meters in length and 78 meters in width. The 100,000-ton aircraft carrier based in the Yokosuka naval base in Japan can accommodate about 6,250 crew members and carry some 90 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. The South Korean Navy plans to mobilize 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyers, 1,800-ton Type-214 attack submarines and F-15K fighter jets in the drill, said the official. The exercise will include naval bombardment, dropping depth charges and checks of communications systems between the allied forces, he said. Last month, a South Korea-led multinational investigation group released a report saying a North Korean midget submarine had torpedoed the 1,200-ton frigate Cheonan in the West Sea on March 26, killing 46 sailors. The Seoul government pledged stern countermeasures in retaliation, including the ROK-U.S. naval exercise and the resumption of psychological warfare. gallantjung@koratimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: Washington Post article : Analysts question Korea torpedo incident

* Informed in Information Clearing House

Washington Post
Analysts question Korea torpedo incident
By Jeff Stein | May 27, 2010; 4:19 PM ET

How is it that a submarine of a fifth-rate power was able to penetrate a U.S.-South Korean naval exercise and sink a ship that was designed for anti-submarine warfare?

Such questions are being fueled by suggestions in the South Korean and Japanese media that the naval exercise was intended to provoke the North to attack. The resulting public outcry in the South, according to this analysis, would bolster support for a conservative government in Seoul that is opposed to reconciliation efforts.

As fanciful as it may sound to Western ears, the case that Operation Foal Eagle was designed to provoke the North has been underscored by constant references in regional media to charts showing the location where the ship was sunk -- in waters close to, and claimed by, North Korea.

"Baengnyeong Island is only 20 kilometers from North Korea in an area that the North claims as its maritime territory, except for the South Korean territorial sea around the island,” Japanese journalist Tanaka Sakai wrote in the left-leaning Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.

He called the sinking of the ship “an enigma.”

"The Cheonan was a patrol boat whose mission was to survey with radar and sonar the enemy’s submarines, torpedoes, and aircraft ... " Sakai wrote.

"If North Korean submarines and torpedoes were approaching, the Cheonan should have been able to sense it quickly and take measures to counterattack or evade. Moreover, on the day the Cheonan sank, US and ROK military exercises were under way, so it could be anticipated that North Korean submarines would move south to conduct surveillance. It is hard to imagine that the Cheonan sonar forces were not on alert."

The liberal Hankyoreh newspaper in Seoul echoed a similar theme.

“A joint South Korean-U.S. naval exercise involving several Aegis warships was underway at the time, and the Cheonan was a patrol combat corvette (PCC) that specialized in anti-submarine warfare. The question remains whether it would be possible for a North Korean submarine to infiltrate the maritime cordon at a time when security reached its tightest level and without detection by the Cheonan,” it reported.

American spy satellites were also monitoring the exercise, “so the U.S. would have known that North Korean submarines had left their ports on a mission,” adds Scott Snyder, director of Center for U.S.-Korea Policy at the Asia Foundation.

“The route the North Korean submarines apparently took was from the East Sea, not directly from the North across the NLL,” or Northern Limit Line, the sea boundary unilaterally imposed by Seoul. “Essentially, they went the roundabout way and came at the ROK vessel from behind,” he said.

But Bruce Klingner, chief of the CIA’s Korea Branch in the 1990s, said “anti-submarine operations are far more difficult than is often realized.

“Beyond the obvious difficulty in tracking something that is designed to operate quietly, navies are confronted with natural acoustical phenomena as shallow, noisy littoral waters and layers of water salinity which can provide cover for submarines.”

Moreover, says Terence Roehrig, a professor at the Naval War College, “the Cheonan was an older Pohang-class corvette and not one of these [newer] ships.”

“Satellite and communications coverage of sub bases can tell when subs have left base…” adds Bruce Bechtol, Jr., professor of international relations at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. “It cannot tell locations of submarines once they are at sea -- unless they surface or communicate.”

“A mini-submarine like the type that is assessed to have penetrated the NLL is designed specifically for covert maneuvering in shallow waters like those that exist off of the west coast of the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

“It appears from the reports that [the South Korean Ministry of Defense] has released that a submarine departed port off the west coast of North Korea, accompanied by a support vessel. The submarine perhaps could have come fairly close to the NLL using diesel power, then switched to battery power, which is much quieter,” Bechtol added. “The submarine could have then slipped past the NLL at an appropriate time and waited for a ROK ship to approach.”

Suspicions about what happened, Bechtol said, are unwarranted.

“The fact of the matter is, a submarine did infiltrate into South Korean waters -- and they have done so in the past fairly frequently," he said.

"It is their mission.”

Text Fwd: N. Korea sets 'firing zone' along western sea border

* Image source: Tongil News, Dec. 21, 2009
'The Maritime Demarcation Lines claimed [differently] by the South and North
[Source-Ministry of National Defense, ROK]'
(Translation added)

Yonhap News
N. Korea sets 'firing zone' along western sea border

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday that it was setting a "peacetime firing zone" along the inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea, raising tension in the volatile region where a blaze of gunfire was recently exchanged.

Last week, North Korea accused the South Korean Navy of conducting underwater explosions close to its waters, calling it "provocation." South Korea's Joint Chief of Staffs dismissed the claim, saying the explosions were part of a routine drill conducted in South Korean waters.

"In order to counter the reckless military provocations of the warmongers of the South Korean military," a spokesman for the Navy Command of the North's Korean People's Army said, "our navy declares the waters on the extension of the Military Demarcation Line in the West Sea under the control of our army as a peacetime naval firing zone of coastal and island artillery units of the KPA (Korean People's Army)."

South Korea expressed regret over the North Korean warning, pledging a "stern response" should the communist state provoke on the maritime border.

"We express grave concern as the North's threat raises unnecessary tension between the Koreas," the South Korean Navy said in a statement, calling the North Korean argument "irrational."

The Military Demarcation Line refers to the line North Korea unilaterally drew just south of Northern Limit Line (NLL) in 1999 as the maritime inter-Korean border, declaring the NLL that has existed for decades unfair and void.

The NLL, part of which was drawn close to the North Korean coastline, was set by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Koreas exchanged brief gunfire in an area just south of the NLL in November, and naval skirmishes that erupted nearby in 1999 and 2002 led to casualties.

The latest warning raised military tension in the region that overlaps between the NLL and the line that North Korea claims should be the border.

"The frequent intrusions of the warmongers of the South Korean military into the territorial waters of the north side in the West Sea of Korea have recently developed into adventurous bombardments," the unidentified naval command spokesman said.

All fishing boats and warships should take security measures to protect themselves in the "peacetime naval firing zone," he said.

Also Monday, South Korea said it planned to resume cash support to enhance the health of North Korean infants and children, which it halted after the North's nuclear test earlier this year. Seoul's Unification Ministry said it will provide millions of dollars to U.N. agencies that operate health care programs for those who are nutritionally at risk in North Korea.

Last week, Seoul provided US$15 million in medication to the North to help prevent an epidemic of the H1N1 flu virus there.

hkim@yna.co.kr
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

* Related article:

Tongil News
North Korea, Announces the Water Are of the Western Sea Demarcation Line as the "peacetime firing zone": The NLL is overlapped with the South Zone Sea Area, Military Tension Is Heightened in the Western Sea
北, 서해분계선 수역 '평시 해상사격구역' 선포 NLL 이남 수역과 겹쳐 서해 군사적 긴장 높아져
Dec. 21, 2009(Monday)
Jeong Nyung-Jin 정명진 기자 (mjjung@tongilnews.com)

Text Fwd: U.N. Command team visited S. Korean navy over skirmish with North: officials

* Yonhap News
2009/11/15 23:27 KST
U.N. Command team visited S. Korean navy over skirmish with North: officials

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- Several members of the United Nations Command made a fact-finding trip to a South Korean naval command regarding a recent naval skirmish with North Korea on the Yellow Sea border, military officials said Sunday.

The team from the U.N. Command's Military Armistice Commission, which supervises the implementation of the Korean War armistice, made the visit on Thursday, two days after the navies of the Koreas exchanged gunfire, they said, requesting anonymity.


Yonhap News
2009/11/15 20:38 KST
N. Korea briefly activated fire-control radar near Yellow Sea border: sources

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korea briefly activated its fire-control radar system covering the disputed western sea border Sunday, forcing South Korea to scramble to move its patrol boats away from the North's shore-based missiles and artilleries, military sources said.

The situation returned to normal in an hour, but South Korean military remained on heightened alert, said two military sources contacted by Yonhap News Agency.

Text Fwd: Experts caution West Sea naval “clashes” could warrant international intervention

* Image source: same as below
'An anchor of Korea Central TV delivers a statement from the high command of North Korea
to ask the South Korean military to apologize for the clash that occurred
between North Korean and South Korean navies near the NLL, Nov. 10.'

Hankyoreh
Experts caution West Sea naval “clashes” could warrant international intervention:
They say the U.S. and China negatively view increasing tensions in the West Sea, and that it is time to reign in naval commanders.
Nov.13, 2009

An anchor of Korea Central TV delivers a statement from the high command of North Korea to ask the South Korean military to apologize for the clash that occurred between North Korean and South Korean navies near the NLL, Nov. 10.

Tuesday’s naval clash in the West Sea near Daecheong island did not escalate, but experts have warned that clashes in the waters near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) could at any time turn into an international conflict.

Experts explained that if a naval battle were to grow larger than expected, the U.S. military might feel compelled to intervene. Article 3 of the Mutual Defense Treaty signed by South Korea and the U.S. in 1953 reads, “Each party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area upon either of the parties in territories now under their respective administrative control, or hereafter recognized by one of the parties as lawfully brought under the administrative control of the other, would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes.” There is no specific reference to “automatic intervention,” but experts say that an “act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes” means U.S. military intervention.

It was due to these concerns that the Kim Dae-jung government defined the first and second West Sea naval clashes of 1999 and 2002 as “accidental armed clashes” rather than “battles.” A former high-ranking official who attended the meeting of security-related ministers during the 2002 clash said Thursday that if the government calls the clash an intentional North Korean provocation or a “battle,” the U.S. military could intervene and it could become an international conflict. The former official added that because the U.S. also does not wish to intervene it has agreed with our judgment that it was an “accidental clash.”

Experts criticize that, viewed in this context, it is possible to see just how dangerous measures taken since the start of the Lee Myung-bak administration to strengthen the free hand of commanders on the ground have become. The feeling on the ground is to respond as aggressively as possible to achieve “victory,” so giving a free hand to commanders opens the way to escalation. In a worst-case scenario, one cannot exclude a possible situation that would involve an accidental clash and growing battle, followed by U.S. military intervention.

Experts also point out that armed clashes in the West Sea are also intimately tied to Chinese interests. According to them, if an armed clash in the West Sea grows, traffic to and from major Chinese ports such as Shanghai and Tianjin could be paralyzed. Chinese imports of raw materials from Europe and the U.S. and exports of completed goods largely depend on maritime traffic. As a result, the Chinese government also reportedly put out feelers during this latest West Sea clash. Lee Hee-ok, a professor of Sungkyunkwan University and expert on China, said although the automatic military intervention article of the Sino-North Korea Treaty of Friendship is now almost a dead letter, China cannot help but negatively view increasing tensions in the West Sea.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Posted on : Nov.13,2009 11:27 KST
© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company.


* Related articles:

Korea Times
11-13-2009
N. Korea Warns of Military Action Over Naval Clash

Yonhap News
2009/11/13 17:24 KST
(3rd LD) N. Korea threatens 'merciless' action to defend sea border with S. Korea


* Related blogs

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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Text Fwd: N. Korea calls naval skirmish 'provocation' by South Korean military

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-they-dont-tell-you.html
Sunday, October 25, 2009
[국문 번역] WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/09/text-fwd-us-braces-for-possible-nuke.html
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Text Fwd: 'US Braces for Possible Nuke War With NK'

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/koreans-declare-727-peace-ship-launch.html
Monday, July 27, 2009
Koreans Declare the “7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River” Movement into the New Conversion Movement

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Letter Fwd: Letter Sent to the Presidents of the Republic of Korea and the United States on the Occasion of the Korean-US Summit Conference (2009.6.16)

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/05/text-fwd-peace-network-north-koreas.html
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Text Fwd:[Peace Network] North Korea’s Stronger Repulsion against the PSI…The West Sea is Dangerous

Text Fwd: N. Korea calls naval skirmish 'provocation' by South Korean military

* Yonhap News
(2nd LD) N. Korea calls naval skirmish 'provocation' by South Korean military
By Kim Hyun and Tony Chang

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea charged Thursday that a recent naval skirmish in the Yellow Sea was a "premeditated provocation" by the South who will be forced to "pay dearly" for the attempt to thwart the current mood for dialogue.

The navies of the Koreas exchanged gunfire along their western sea border on Tuesday, the first such incident in seven years. There were no South Korean casualties, but North Korea reportedly suffered one death and three of its sailors were wounded.

"Nobody can deny the fact that the armed provocation perpetrated by (the South) again in the West Sea is nothing but a deliberate and vicious move for increasing the tension and a dangerous war action of those much upset by the trend of the situation on the peninsula," Rodong Sinmun, a major North Korean newspaper published by the Workers' Party, said in a commentary. The article was carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.

"The south Korean forces will be forced to pay dearly for the grave armed provocation," it said.

The two-minute battle erupted near midday Tuesday when a North Korean patrol boat crossed over the Northern Limit Line, the de facto border in the Yellow Sea, and responded to a warning shot with about 50 rounds. The South Korean vessel then opened fire and the North's boat retreated in flames, according to South Korean military officials.

North Korea gave a different account just hours after the incident. The Supreme Command of the North's Korean People's Army, chaired by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, demanded an apology from Seoul, saying South Korea initiated the skirmish against the patrol boat while it was on routine duty.

The boat was sailing to confirm an unidentified object that had intruded into North Korean waters, the command claimed. The report did not say what the object was.

Reiterating claims that South Korea initiated the incident, the Rodong Sinmun accused the South Korean military and conservatives of "collusion with outside forces while hamstringing the efforts to improve the inter-Korean relations."

"The artillery pieces of the KPA (Korean People's Army" convinced of justice and afire with hatred are now leveled at the provokers," the commentary said.

"The south Korean military had better face up to the trend of the times and behave itself."

The gunfire occurred ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's tour of Asia next week, which includes a stop in Seoul, and an expected trip to Pyongyang within this year by Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy.

Also, high-level officials between the Koreas recently met in a North Korean border town to facilitate inter-Korean dialogue, according to sources in Seoul

Text Fwd: South Korea deviated from previous rules of engagement in West Sea clash

* Image source/ caption: Hankyoreh
'Chamsuri’ is similar to a vessel that had been involved in a naval battle between North Korea and South Korea around the Northern Limit Line (NLL).'

Hankyoreh
South Korea deviated from previous rules of engagement in West Sea clash:
Observers say South Korea navy is showing little restraint in preventing naval battles from taking place in disputed West Sea territory
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:47 KST

The South Korean navy enacted different rules of engagement during the exchange of fire between the North Korean and South Korea naval ships on Nov. 10 in comparison with the two previous inter-Korean naval battles that occurred in the West Sea in 1999 and 2002 (also known as the Yeongpyeong Naval Battle of June 1999 that lasted 9 minutes and Second Yeongpyeong Naval Battle that lasted 24 minutes).

In the previous two battles, the South Korean navy had implemented rules of engagement with five procedural steps of “announcing a warning, moving, firing a warning shot, firing a threatening shot, and firing a precision shot.” The previous rules of engagement were designed to avoid battles between the North Korean and South Korea navies.

In contrast on Tuesday, the South Korean patrol boat issued a warning shot immediately after moving and communicated a warning message. In response, the North Korean vessel took a precision shot and in turn, South Korea took a precision shot. Since 2004, when the rules of engagement were set, three to six warning shots have been exchanged per year, and these shots are the first that have taken place this year. Observers suggest the new rules of engagement curtail steps that could prevent clashes from escalating.

The two Koreas have been arguing over the West Sea waters ever since the United Nations forces established the Northern Limit Line (NLL) above the five West Sea islands in 1953 after the Korean War. North Korea presented a maritime demarcation line in 1999 that announced that the NLL was invalid.

Observers are saying this incident was made possible in an atmosphere in which the South Korean navy feels no resolve to avoid battles with the North Korean navy. In response to the South Korean government’s announcement made earlier in the year about its decision to fully participate in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), North Korea had said it could no longer guarantee the safe passage of U.S. and South Korean naval ships or civilian shipping vessels in neighboring waters. In response, Chung Ok-geun, then-Chief of naval operations ordered naval soldiers not to avoid battle and said, “If the enemy hurts one of our fingers, we should respond by cutting its wrist.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

* Related articles

Hankyoreh
North Korea and South Korea’s first naval clash in 7 years:
S. Korean observers say the 2 minute exchange occurred after the North Korean patrol boat crossed the NLL while investigating illegal fishing activity
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:39 KST

Hankyoreh
West Sea naval clash expected to affect North Korea-U.S. bilateral dialogue
While conservatives want to use it to hinder N. Korea-U.S. dialogue, analysts say Lee administration could appropriately minimize its effects
Posted on : Nov.11,2009 12:43 KST

Korea Times:
11-11-2009 18:43
Seoul to Offer Aid to NK Despite Clash
By Lee Tae-hoon, Staff Reporter


* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/11/text-fwd-two-koreas-exchange-fire-in.html
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Text Fwd: Two Koreas Exchange Fire in West Sea

Text Fwd: Two Koreas Exchange Fire in West Sea

* Image source/ caption: Korea Times:
South Korean Navy Cham Soo-ri class patrol vessels conduct a drill in this undated photo.
Another boat in the class and a North Korean patrol ship exchanged fire near the maritime border in the West Sea, Tuesday, in the first armed clash between the two Koreas in seven years.
/ Courtesy of the Navy

Korea Times
11-10-2009 13:37
Two Koreas Exchange Fire in West Sea

Navy ships of the two Koreas exchanged fire Tuesday along their disputed western sea border, South Korean military officers said.

A South Korean warship shot at a North Korean navy ship that crossed the disputed western sea border Tuesday morning and the North's ship shot back, said an officer at the Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Another officer said there were no South Korean casualties, though it was unclear whether there were any on the North Korean side. He said that the North Korean ship was seriously damaged and that it turned back toward northern waters after the brief skirmish.

Navies of the two Koreas fought deadly skirmishes along the western sea border in 1999 and 2002. The clash in 2002 left six South Korean soldiers dead and others wounded.

North Korea last month accused South Korean warships of broaching its territory in waters off the west coast and warned of a clash in the zone, which is a rich crab fishing area.

The latest conflict comes amid international tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons program and expectations that Pyongyang and the United States may soon engage in direct talks.

Meanwhile, there were no signs of tension along the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that there were no unusual troop movements on the North Korean side of the land border.

* Related articles

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Manpower Cut to Compromise Coastal Security
By Park Si-soo, Staff Reporter
11-10-2009 18:30

Korea Times
Seoul Wary of N. Korean Retaliation
By Lee Tae-hoon, Staff Reporter,
11-10-2009 18:34

[영문 번역] Pyeongteak Press Release against the Joint Military Exercise, Oct. 12, 2009

* Image source: Pyeongteak Peace Center, 평택 평화 센터

'평택민주단체연대회의(평택연대 집행위원장 강상원)가 10월 12일 오전 11시 평택 제 2함대 사령부 앞에서
기자 회견을 하고 있다. 기자회견과 함께 훈련기간인 13일(화)부터 16일(금)까지 오전8시부터 9시까지 1시간동안
2함대사령부앞에서 1인시위를 진행되었다.'
'Solidarity Council of the Democracy Organizations in Pyeongteak ( Executive chairman: Kang, Sang Won) is having the press interview in front of the 2nd Fleet Command, Pyeongteak, at 11am, on Oct. 12, 2009. One-man protest was done in front of the 2nd Fleet Command, Pyeongtaek, from 8am to 9am, during the exercise period of Oct. 13 to 16.'


* Image source: Pyeongteak Peace Center, 평택 평화 센터


* Image source: South Gyeonggi-do branch, SPARK 평통사 경기 남부 지부

활동가들은 '기자회견후 부대 정문 민원실에 항의서한과 면담요청서를 전달하였다. 정문앞에는 태극기와 성조기가 함께 걸려 있었다.' 평택 노동자들과 민주노동당원들을 비롯, 여러 시민 단체들이 기자 회견에 참가하였다.
The activists ‘delivered the protest letter and request letter for meeting with the 2nd Fleet Command to the Civil Service Center inside the front gate of the base after the press interview. There the national flags of the United States and South Korea were together hung.' Various civil organizations such as the workers in the Pyeongtaek, Democratic Labor Party members have also participated in the press interview.

* The translation below is the unofficial. 비공식 번역입니다.

원문 사이트: 평택 평화 센터, 또는 평화와 통일을 여는 사람들(평통사) 경기남부 지부
[기자 회견문] 중국을 자극하고 북에 무력 시위하는 미 항공모함 서해상 훈련 반대한다.
2009·10·12

Original Site: Pyeongtaek Peace Center or Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea(SPARK), South Gyeonggi branch
[Press Release] We oppose the Unites States Aircraft Carrier’s Exercise in the West Sea, which Provokes China and is a Military Demonstration against the North Korea.
Oct. 12, 2009


북한과 중국의 해상 관문인 서해에서 미국의 항공모함 조지 워싱톤 호가 4척의 이지스 순양함과 7척의 구축함, 잠수함 등 함선들을 거느리고 해군 2함대와 함께 해상 특수작전 훈련을 한다고 한다.

It is heard that the U.S. Aircraft Carrier George Washington will do the special sea surface operation exercise with the 2nd Fleet of the [south Korean] navy, in the west sea, the gate into the North Korea and China, having with the naval vessels such as the four Aegis Cruisers, seven Aegis Destroyers, and submarine.

우리는 가공할 전력의 미 항공모함 전단이 서해상에 등장하는 것 자체가 중국과 북한을 자극하여 한반도의 긴장을 고조시키는 것이기에, 미 항공모함 전단의 서해상 훈련을 반대한다.

We oppose the exercise on the surface of the west sea because the presence itself of the U.S. aircraft carrier with the awesome power in the surface of the west sea provokes the China and the North Korea thus heightens the intensity of the Korean peninsula.

핵추진 항공모함 조지 워싱톤호는 미 7함대 소속으로 일본 요코스카 해군기지를 모항으로 한다. 호위 순양함, 구축함, 잠수함의 전력을 제외하고도 슈퍼 호넷 전투기, 호넷 전투기, 조기경보기 등 항공기 66대가 탑재되어 있어 항공모함 조지 워싱톤 호의 전력은 ‘한 나라의 전력과 맞먹을 정도’로 막강하다. 이런 항공모함 전단이 서해 바다로 들어오게 되는 것은 한국전쟁당시인 1950년 인천상륙작전 이후 처음이다. 서해는 유사이래 한중일등 동북아시아 제 민족의 무역과 문물교류의 무대이며 현재에도 북과 중국의 해외 진출입의 관문이다. 그러나 1999년과 2001년도 미국이 일방적으로 그어논 NLL(북방한계선)문제로 남북간에 무력 충돌이 발생하였던 첨예한 분쟁지역이다. 때문에 우리는 한반도의 평화를 위협하고 긴장을 고조시킬 미 항공모함 전단의 서해 진입과 훈련을 중단할 것을 촉구한다.

The Nuclear –propelled Aircraft Carrier is belong to the 7th fleet of the United States and make a home port in the Yokosuka naval base, Japan. Beside the guide cruiser, destroyer, and submarine, it is fitted with the 66 aircrafts such as the Super Hornet fighter planes, Hornet fighter planes, Early Warning Aircrafts thus the combat power of the George Washington, the aircraft carrier, is strong as to compete with the combat power of a nation. It is for the first time that such aircraft carrier has ever entered into the west sea since the Incheon Landing Operation, 1950, during the Korean War. Since the dawn of the history, the west sea has been the stage for the trade and exchange of the civilizations among the nations such as the China, Japan and Korea and is also for the entrance gate toward overseas for the North Korea and China, in the present, as well. However, it is the acute conflict zone where there have been the military confrontations between the South and North Korea in 1999 and 2001 because of the issue of the NLL [Northern Limited Line] that was unilaterally drawn by the United States.

이번 미 항공모함 전단과 한국의 2함대가 연합으로 진행할 훈련은 북한 특수부대의 해안침투를 가상해 해상과 공중에서의 작전을 펼치는 것이라고 한국의 국방부는 밝히고 있다. 그러나 특수부대의 침투저지 목적으로, 중국과 북을 크게 자극하는 가공할 항공모함과 잠수함, 구축함들과 한국 2함대가 동원된다는 것에 큰 의문을 가지지 않을 수가 없다.

The Ministry of the Defense Department of the South Korea says the exercise processed by the joint activity between the U.S. aircraft carrier combat unit and the South Korean 2nd Fleet, is to stage the operation in the surface and air, simulating the case of the North Korean special troop ‘s infiltration into the coast. However, one can not but have a big question by the [absurd] fact that the awesome aircraft carrier, submarine, destroyers and South Korean 2nd Fleet are mobilized to deter the special troop’s infiltration, which greatly provokes China and North Korea.

호미로 막을 것을 가레로 막는 격이고 빈대 잡을려고 초가삼간을 태우는 비대칭의 훈련이며 북과 중의 가장 민감한 서해바다에서 초대규모의 훈련이 진행된다는 것도 이해할 수 없는 의문을 던지는 훈련이다.

It is the unbalanced exercise that is like using a plow to counter the things that can be done with weeding hoe and like burning straw house to capture bed bug. And it is the exercise with question because the fact that the super size exercise is being processed in the most sensitive area of the west sea, for the North Korea and China, can be hardly understandable.

마국과 한국정부는 평화를 바라는 국민들에게 불안감만 심어주고 주변국을 크게 자극하는 이 훈련의 목적과 규모, 계획을 밝혀야 할것이며 즉각 훈련을 중단해야 한다. 북의 유엔결의 위반을 빌미삼아 지난 7월 미 이지스구축함 존 메케인호를 이용하여 북의 강남호를 추적하여 수송차단을 시도하였던 일로 전쟁의 우려가 높아만 갔는데 이번에도 동북아시아에 엄청난 군사적 긴장을 높이고 있는 상식이하의 도발이다.

The governments of the United States and South Korea should announce the purpose, size & plan of this exercise that only gives the anxiety to the peace-hoping people and greatly provokes the neighbor countries and must immediately stop the exercise. Whereas the anxiety of [the possibility of] war has been increased because they attempted to intercept the North Korean ship, Gangnam, from its carrying, by tracing it, using of the U.S. Aegis Destroyer, John McCain, last July, with the pretext of the North Korea’s violation of the U.N. resolution, [the exercise] is the senseless provocation, this time again, which heightens the tremendous military tension in the North East Asia.

10월 4일부터 중국 총리가 방북하여 조중친선을 다졌으며. 8월초 미국의 클린턴 전 대통령 방북한 이후 북미간에도 양자대화가 본격화 될 예정이다. 이런 정세에서 북한특수부대의 해안침투를 가상한 훈련이라는 것은 현실에도 맞지 않고, 고조되는 동북아시아의 친선과 화해, 평화의 기운에 찬물을 끼얹는 대단히 도발적 행위이다. 게다가 서해는 북에 대한 PSI(대량살상무기방지구상)를 한미간의 공동 작전으로 펼칠 수 있는 지역이기에 우리의 우려는 더욱 심각하다.

The Prime Minister of China has visited the North Korea from Oct. 4 and strengthened the friendly relationship between the North Korea and China while the active dialogue between the North Korea and United States is expected since the Ex-President Clinton visited the North Korea early August. In this situation, the exercise simulating the North Korean special troop’s infiltration of sea coast is not realistic and tremendously provoking activity pouring the cold water into the atmosphere of the heightened friendship, reconciliation and peace in the north east Asia.

우리는 이번 훈련이 한국 2함대와 연합으로 펼쳐지는 것에도 주목한다. 한국의 2함대는 평택항에 있으며, 확장되는 평택 미군기지, 송탄 공군기지와 지척이다. 한미연례연습 당시 주로 부산항을 통해 입항했던 항공모함 전단이 평택 2함대와 연합작전을 한다는 것은 부산뿐 아니라 평택을 통해서도 전시 전력증원을 도모하고 있기 때문이 아닌가 하는 의구심이 든다.

We also notice this exercise is jointly staged with the 2nd Fleet of the South Korea. The 2nd Fleet of the South Korea is in the Pyeongtaek harbor and is located very near to the Pyeongtaek U. S. base and Songtan Air force base. The fact that the air craft carrier combat unit that used to enter mainly through the Busan harbor during the U.S.-SK annual joint exercise does the joint operation with the 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek makes us wonder whether [the two governments] aim for the increasing of the combat power during war time through the Pyeongteak, as well.

게다가 서해는 북에 대한 PSI(대량살상무기방지구상)를 한미간의 공동 작전으로 펼칠 수 있는 지역이기에 우리의 우려는 더욱 심각하다.

Furthermore, because the west sea is the area where the PSI (Proliferation Security Initiative) could be staged by the joint operation between the United States and South Korea, our concern is more serious.

이에 우리는 한미 해군이 벌이려고 하는 연합훈련을 중단하고, 미국의 평택미군기지 확장도 중단할 것을 요구한다.

Thus, we demand to stop the joint exercise that the SK-US navies are to stage and to stop the expansion of the Pyeongtaek U.S. base.

뿐만아니다. 최근 송탄 미공군기지에 또 하나의 활주로를 건설하겠다는 계획이 언론을 통해 보도되었다. ‘새롭게 건설되는 활주로는 대형수송기의 이착륙을 가능케함은 물론 현재보다 두 배의 항공기를 이륙, 착륙시킬 수 있게 될 것이다’라는 주한미군 대변인 성명을 통해 주한미군의 활주로 건설의 진의를 확인할 수 있다.

Not only that. It was recently reported that another runway would be constructed in the Songtam U. S. airforce base. One can confirm the true intention behind the construction of the runway by the United States Forces of Korea through the statement by the spokesperson who told that 'Newly established runway will make possible the taking on and off of not only the large size carriers, of course, but also the twice the amount of taking on and off than the present’s.'

그러나 국방부는 비행 운항횟수가 늘어나지 않기 때문에 주민들의 피해는 없을 것이라고 주장하지만 송탄공군기지에 2012년까지 주한미군 3성장군에 의해 통제되는 한미연합합동작전사령부를 건설하겠다는 보도가 송탄공군기지 활주로 건설시기와 맞아떨어지는 정황을 분석해볼때 결국 국방부의 변명은 손바닥으로 하늘을 가리는 옹색한 변명에 다름아니다.

Even though the Ministry of the Defense Department claims that there would be no damage for the village people because the flying frequency will not be increased, looking at the situation, analyzed by the fact that the timing of the runway construction is fit to the report that says the Korea-US Joint Operational Command controlled by the three star general of the United States Forces of Korea would be constructed in the Songtan AFB by 2012, the excuse of the Defense department is nothing but the poor one that is attempted to cover the sky with the palm.

평택시민들은 지난 60년간 미군항공기로 인해 말못할 피해를 받아왔다. 민간항공기와는 달리 미군항공기는 그 어떤 규제장치도 없어 인근 지역주민들은 온갖 피해를 감수해왔다. 이제는 더 이상 참을 수 없다. 주민피해만을 가중시키는 활주로건설사업의 백지화를 촉구한다.

The Pyeongtaek citizens have gone through the unspeakable damages due to the U.S. air crafts for last 60 years. Since the U.S. military airplane, different from the civilian airplane, has no restriction system, the local people near it have had to stand all kinds of damage.
We can not stand any more. We urge to cancel the runway construction business that only adds the damage on the village people.

전쟁을 반대하고 평화를 사랑하는 평택시민들은 오는 13일부터 나흘간 진행되는 대북 한미합동군사훈련의 즉각 중지를 요구함과 동시에 평택시민을 배제한채 일방적으로 추진되는 활주로건설사업의 전면 백지화를 재천명하는 바이다.

All the anti-war and peace-loving Pyeongteak citizens demand the immediate stop of the U.S. –South Korea joint military exercise that will be processed during four days from coming 13th, and, at the same time, re-announce the total nullification of the runway construction business that is being driven but excluding the Pyeongtaek citizens.

우리는 한반도 평화협정을 체결 지속적으로 촉구하여, 한반도 비핵화, 주한미군 철수, 남북 평화군축을 실현하고 동북아시아의 평화적 공존을 위해 투쟁해 나갈 것을 밝힌다.

We declare that we will constantly urge the conclusion of the Peace Agreement, and therefore realize the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, withdrawal of the United States Forces of Korea, & the peaceful arms reduction and that we will struggle for the peaceful co-existence of the north east Asia.

[우리의 요구]
- 서해안 대북 전쟁훈련연습 즉각 중단하라!
- 훈련의 목적과 병력규모와 훈련 계획을 즉각 공개하라!
- 노벨평화상을 수상한 오바마대통령은 세계평화 위협하는 한미합동군사훈련 즉각 중단하라!
- 더 이상 한미동맹을 이유로 평택시민에게 고통을 전가하지 마라 활주로건설 백지화하라! - 미국의 동북아시아 전쟁기지, 평택미군기지확장 중단하고 한반도 평화협정 체결하[라]!

2009년 10월 12일 평택민주단체연대회의


[Our demand]

- Immediately Stop the War Training Exercise against the North Korea in the West Coast!
- Immediately Publicize the Purpose, Force Size and Plan of the Training!
- President Obama who got the Nobel Peace Prize, Immediately Stop the US-ROK Joint Military Training that Threatens the World Peace!
- Do Not hand Over the Suffering to the Pyeongtaek Citizens Any More for the Reason of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance, Nullify the Runway Construction!
- Stop the Expansion of the Pyeongtaek U. S. Base, the United States War Base of the North East Asia and Conclude the Peace Agreement in the Korean Peninsula!

Oct. 12, 2009
Solidarity Council of the Democracy Organizations in Pyeongteak


* Related blog 관련 블로그
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-they-dont-tell-you.html
[국문 번역] WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU 그들이 당신에게 말하지 않는 것
Bruce Gagnon blog 브루스 개그논 블로그
Monday, October 12, 2009 2009년 10월 12일