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

[국문] Text Fwd:[PSPD Commentary ] on the 42nd SCM

Peace Disarmament Team, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Oct. 13, 2010
참여연대 평화 군축팀, 2010년 10월 13일

[논평] 공격성 강화된 한미동맹 - 42차 한미연례안보협의회의(SCM)

- 북한 급변사태 대비 군사개입 계획은 국제법에 반하는 공격행위
- 핵우산 등 확장억제정책 강화, 북한에 대한 비핵화 요구와 상충
- 한미 군사동맹의 세계 군사개입 확대는 한미상호방위조약 위반
- 천안함 대응 자족적 평가, 유엔사 중립국위원회 문제제기는 외면

지난 10월 8일, 워싱턴 D.C에서 제 42차 한미연례안보협의회의가 개최되었고 한미 양국이 합의한 공동성명이 발표되었다. 국방부에 의해 발표된 공동성명은 한미군사동맹이 점점 더 공격적으로 전환되어 가면서 역내 군사대결구조를 강화하는 장본인으로 되어가고 있음을 보여준다. 참여연대 평화군축센터는 이에 심각한 우려를 표명한다.

이번 한미연례안보협의회의에서 합의된 주요 내용은 1) “불안정한 사태”를 한미 공동성명에서 공식적으로 명시함으로써 북한의 급변사태에 대한 준비태세 공고화 2) “확장억제정책위원회”를 제도화해 나가기로 합의하는 등 미국이 한국에 제공하는 핵우산, 재래식 타격 능력 및 미사일 방어능력 등의 확장억제정책 강화 3) 한미동맹의 강화와 더불어 한미동맹의 범주를 범세계적으로 확장하는 것이다. 이 내용들은 천안함 사건 이후 한반도에서 강화되고 있는 대북 대결 태세를 한층 강화시킬 뿐만 아니라, 한미상호방위조약을 위반하는 내용도 대거 포함하고 있다.

우선 이번 한미 공동성명에서는 처음으로 “불안정한 사태”라고 북한 급변 사태를 공식적으로 명시했다. 그동안 한미 양국은 이미 개념계획 5029의 작전계획화 등을 통해 이른바 ‘북한 급변 사태’에 대한 군사적 대응책을 추진해 왔다. 이번 한미연례안보협의회의를 거치면서 이 같은 양국의 군사적 개입계획이 더욱 구체화된 것으로 분석되고 있다. 한미 국방장관이 이번 회의에서 하달한 '전략기획지침(SPG)'에 의해 새롭게 구체화 될 작전계획의 구체적 내용은 알려지지 않고 있지만, 그간 한미연합사 등이 부분적으로 언급해온 것으로 비추어 볼 때, 전면전 등의 직접적인 무력 위협이 존재하지 않을 경우에도 ‘유사시’ 휴전선을 넘어 북한지도부를 체포하거나, 북 군사 행정 기구들을 접수하고 북한에 대한 안정화작전을 진행하는 등의 직접적인 군사적 점령계획을 포함하는 것이다. 이는 ‘방어’에 목적을 둔 한미상호방위조약에 반할 뿐만 아니라 국제법적으로는 침략행위로 간주될 수도 있는, 매우 공격적인 것이다. 한미 군사당국은 이 같은 군사개입계획의 개발을 즉각 중단해야 한다.

둘째, 성명은 한미동맹의 강화와 더불어 한미군사동맹 개입범위의 세계적 확장을 강조하고 있다. 성명에서는 “한미동맹을 양자, 지역, 범세계적 범주의 포괄적인 전략동맹으로 구축해 나간다는 양국 정상의 공약을 재확인”하였다며 “광범위한 범세계적 안보도전에 대처하기 위한 한미 간 협력을 증진해 나가기로 약속하였다”고 밝히고 있다. 이미 한국군은 아프간에서 그리고 미국이 진행하는 이른바 ‘대테러전쟁’의 또 다른 전선인 아덴만에서 미군과 군사적 행동을 함께 하고 있다. 그리고 레바논, 아이티같이 미국의 이해관계가 직결된 지역에 PKO를 파견하고 있다. 이는 ‘전략적 유연성’이라는 이름으로 주한미군이 세계분쟁에 직접 차출되는 것뿐만 아니라 한미군사동맹 자체가 전 세계로 확산되고 있음을 여실히 보여주고 있다. 이번 성명을 통해서 이러한 경향이 더욱 강화되고 있음이 재확인되었다. 이번 협의회에서 채택된 ‘국방협력지침’은 상호방위조약을 언급하면서도 “21세기 지역･범세계적 안보에 전략적으로 기여”하는 한미군사협력이 상호방위조약에 부합하는 지에 대해서는 구체적 언급을 회피하고 있다. 그러나 한미상호방위조약의 방위범위는 양국 영토에 대한 태평양지역에서의 위협이다. 그 이상의 동맹세계화는 이 조약의 방어목적에 위배된다. 특히 범세계적 안보에 전략적으로 기여하는 것은 “대한민국은 국제평화의 유지에 노력하고 침략적 전쟁을 부인한다”고 “국군은 국가의 안전보장과 국토방위의 신성한 의무를 수행함을 사명으로 한다”라고 명시되어 있는 헌법 5조의 평화조항에 위배된다.

셋째, 성명은 미국에 의해서 제공되는 핵우산, 재래식 타격 능력 및 미사일 방어능력 등의 확장억제 정책 강화를 공약하고 있다. 성명에 따르면 “확장억제의 실효성 제고를 위해 확장억제정책위원회를 제도화”하는 등 “확장억제를 강화”하겠다고 밝히고 있다. 그러면서도 한편으로는 북한에게 “모든 핵 프로그램과 핵무기 추구를 포기”할 것을 촉구하고 있기도 하다. 이것은 미국이 제공하는 핵억지력에 더욱 더 의존하는 정책을 채택함과 동시에 북한에 대해서는 핵억지력 보유를 포기하라고 요구하고 있는 것이므로 설득력이 없다. 이것은 또한 남과 북 두 지역 모두에서의 ‘비핵화’를 천명했던 한반도 비핵화 공동선언을 위반하는 것이기도 하다.

넷째, 천안함 사건과 관련하여 공동성명에서는 “천안함 사태에 대한 최종 합동조사결과 보고서가 발간된 것과 천안함 침몰에 관한 특별조사에 대한 유엔사의 특별 보고서가 유엔 안보리에 제출되어, 안보리 공식문서로서 정식으로 회람된 것을 환영 한다”고 밝히고 있다. 그러나 사실 천안함 최종보고서가 발표되었음에도 불구하고 천안함 침몰에 관한 의문점들은 여전히 풀리지 못했으며 여전히 전문가들에 의한 문제제기가 이루어지고 있는 상황이다. 유엔에 제공된 유엔사의 특별 보고서에는 ‘한국정부와 유엔사의 제한적 정보 제공’에 대해 문제제기하는 중립국감독위원회 관련국-스웨덴, 스위스, 폴란드 대표들의 보고서도 첨부되어 있다는 점에 대해서 양국은 외면하고 있다. 천안함 침몰의 원인이 명백하게 밝혀지기 위해서는 한국 정부가 천안함 관련한 정보를 국민과 국회, 그리고 중립국 대표들에게 상세하게 공개해야 하며, 나아가 러시아, 중국, 북한 등이 참여하는 국제공동조사와 국회 국정조사가 보장되어야 한다.

이번 성명에서 합의된 ‘국방협력지침’을 보면 “한미상호방위조약 상의 원칙과 목표를 지속적으로 추구할 것“을 분명히 밝히고 있다. 한미상호방위조약에 따르면 ”어떠한 국제적 분쟁이라도 국제적 평화와 안전과 정의를 위태롭게 하지 않는 방법으로 평화적 수단에 의하여 해결하고 무력에 의한 위협이나 무력의 행사를 삼가 할 것을 약속 한다“고 한다. 그러나 위에서 살펴본 바와 같이 이번 42차 한미연례안보협의회의의 공동성명 내용은 ‘평화적 수단’에 의한 해결을 위한 노력은커녕 남북 대결 태세를 강화해 한반도에서의 긴장을 강화시키고 심지어 한미상호방위조약을 위반하고 있는 내용이 대부분이다. 한미 양국은 한반도와 지역의 평화를 위협하는 한미군사동맹의 공격적 전환 작업을 중단해야 한다.

더불어 우리는 한미연례안보협의회의가 가진 구조적 문제점에 대해서도 지적하고자 한다. 군사적 위협을 강조하고 압도적 군사적 우위확보와 공격적 군사개입을 해법의 중심에 놓는 군사협력기구인 한미연례안보협의회의는 그 군사주의적 패권적 접근법으로 인해 도리어 지역 내에서 군사대결의 악순환을 불러오고, 새로운 군사적 위협을 부추기는 부정적 구실을 하고 있다. 양국 정부는 한미연례안보협의회의 같은 냉전적이고 폐쇄적인 논의 틀이 아닌 다른 대안적 논의 틀을 마련해야 한다. 그 핵심은 이른바 ‘국방전략’ 논의에 대한 민주적 통제를 강화하고 소위 군사전문가들이 제공하는 위협분석에 대한 민주적 이견제기 기능을 강화하는 것이다. 한미 양국 정부는 양국 시민들이 과연 어떤 위협이 문제가 되는지 재평가하고, 과연 군사적 해법 이외의 다른 해결책은 없는지 재검토하는데 민주적으로 참여할 수 있는 절차와 방식을 개발해야 한다. 한미관계의 바람직한 발전을 위해서는 양국 관계에서 군사적 관계가 차지하는 비중과 구실을 줄여야 한다. 이 요구에 부응하지 못하면 한미군사동맹은 갈수록 양국 시민들의 회의와 저항에 직면하게 될 것이다.

Text Fwd: USFK commander voices opposition about loudspeaker broadcasts

'USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp shares words of encouragement with South Korean soldiers at a dock on Baeknyeong Island, April 7.' 　


Hankyoreh
USFK commander voices opposition about loudspeaker broadcasts
: U.S. experts have noted that the broadcasts may cause a rift with the U.S.
Posted on : Jul.7,2010 12:13 KST Modified on : Jul.7,2010 14:44 KST
By Lee Jae-hoon

United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Walter Sharp has reportedly expressed his virtual opposition to the South Korean Army’s plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts at the DMZ aimed at North Korea. Sharp reportedly expressed this view when he met with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui after the Lee Myung-bak administration’s announcement on May 24 of measures pertaining to the sinking of the Cheonan.

Multiple military sources connected to South Korea-U.S. relations said Tuesday that Sharp had doubts as to the aim and effectiveness of the loudspeaker broadcasts, and asked if there was a contingency plan should a firefight erupt between North Korean and South Korean troops. The sources said Sharp’s expressed opinion has been interpreted as opposition to the restart of propaganda broadcasts. Sharp reportedly expressed his opinion during a breakfast meeting with Lee in early June.

The military sources also said Sharpe expressed regret that South Korean military authorities did not confer with the UN Command, a party by international law to matters pertaining to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), prior to the announcement of plans to restart the loudspeaker broadcasts.

Military authorities installed loudspeakers at 11 locations along the MDL after announcing a plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts as part of the measures aimed at North Korea announced by the Lee administration on May 24. Actual broadcasts have thus far not restarted, and the plan to operate LED screens for psychological warfare use has been virtually canceled. A military source said cooperation between the United States and South Korean military authorities regarding psychological warfare operations has not been smooth.

North Korea has responded to South Korea’s plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts through repeated threats. The head of North Korea’s delegation for inter-Korean military talks issued a threat to fire on the loudspeakers on May 26, and the North Korean military’s general staff threatened to launch a full-scale war and turn Seoul into a “sea of fire” on June 12.

Appearing before a parliamentary special committee on the sinking of the Cheonan on June 11, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said in regards to the loudspeaker broadcasts that the ministry had decided to delay as both South Korea and the United States felt it would be best to start them after the UN Security Council finishes taking measures against North Korea. It appears the South Korea’s military’s reserved attitude on the matter was greatly influenced by the negative attitude of the United States.

In response, Donald Gross, Asia policy advisor to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, stated through a column in the Hankyoreh on June 21 that the South Korean army’s psychological warfare operation could ignite a wide-ranging military conflict on the Korean Peninsula of which the end would be impossible to accurately predict. Cautioning that it would have the unintended effect of causing a fissure in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Gross called for the plan to be indefinitely postponed or scrapped all together.

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

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* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/05/text-fw-defense-ministry-considers.html
Wednesday, May 11, 2010
[Text Fwd] Defense Ministry considers resuming psychological warfare against N.Korea

Text Fwd: Observers say reconvening the dormant organization indicates a probable consensus between North Korea and China

Hankyoreh
China proposes UN Military Armistice Commission convene for reinvestigation into Cheonan
: Observers say reconvening the dormant organization indicates a probable consensus between North Korea and China
May 29, 2010

» President Lee Myung-bak, right, speaks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at Cheong Wa Dae, May 28. Amid inter-Korean relations speeding into a confrontation with no exit, China has put forth a new mediation offer regarding the Cheonan. A diplomatic source who requested anonymity said Friday that China had proposed to the U.S. to conduct a joint investigation with the participation of the UN Command, China and North Korea. The source said China made the offer last week through its UN delegation in New York, and that the offer called for convening the UN Command’s Military Armistice Commission, which has lost its function over time. The U.S. and China reportedly informed the South Korean government of the offer through the UN Command’s special investigation team for the Cheonan sinking following some final adjustments during China-U.S. strategic and economic talks in Beijing from May 24 to 25. In response, the UN Command special investigation team told the South Korean government that they will ask China’s People’s Liberation Army to rejoin the Military Armistice Commission, and will request the North Korean People’s Army also send representatives to the Joint Observer Team. The UN Special Investigation Team also reportedly stressed the need to resolve the Cheonan incident through dialogue. The UN Command Military Armistice Commission composed a special investigation team on May 22 to look into the cause of the Cheonan sinking. The Military Armistice Commission has been composed and operated with North Korea and China forming one axis and the UN Command forming the other in accordance with the Armistice of 1953. However, after the UN Command named a South Korean general to the commission in 1991, the North Korea withdrew their delegation. China also withdrew its delegation in 1994. Accordingly, if the Military Armistice Commission reconvenes, it appears an international investigation with the participation of North Korea, South Korea, China and the U.S. will take place. North Korea had claimed that the Military Armistice Commission was a mere scrap of paper, but observers say that as China has made this offer, there must have been a degree of consensus between North Korea and China. South Korea’s position regarding this has reportedly been that a cautious approach is needed, claiming that this would only give North Korea a chance to defend itself. Meanwhile, President Lee Myung-bak asked that China cooperate with the international community’s response to the sinking of the Cheonan during bilateral talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) on Friday. During the talks, Lee reportedly stressed in concentrated fashion the point that the final goal of sanctions on North Korea was not to isolate the country, but peace on the Korean Peninsula. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: U.N. Command to probe whether N. Korea violated armistice

Yonhap News
U.N. Command to probe whether N. Korea violated armistice
2010/05/21 14:59 KST
By Kim Deok-hyun

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- The United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea said Friday it will investigate whether a North Korean torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March was in violation of an armistice agreement.

The UNC and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) will "review the findings of the investigation and determine the scope of the armistice violation that occurred in the sinking of the Republic of Korea Ship Cheonan," the UNC said in a statement.

The UNC's special investigation team will be comprised of representatives from South Korea, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Turkey, Britain and the United States, as well as Sweden and Switzerland, members of the NNSC, the statement said.

The team will report their findings to the U.N., according to the statement.

A South Korean government source said earlier Friday the UNC's Military Armistice Commission will lodge a formal protest with Pyongyang if the North is proven to have violated the armistice pact, a ceasefire that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.

On Thursday, South Korea officially accused North Korea of torpedoing the Cheonan, a 1,200-ton patrol ship, in an unprovoked attack, causing it to sink near their Yellow Sea border. Forty-six sailors aboard were killed.

Pyongyang denies the accusation, calling it a fabrication by the Seoul government, and has threatened to wage an "all-out war" if South Korea takes any countermeasures.

The government source said the armistice commission could suggest a joint investigation with North Korea once the probe results are confirmed and verified.

In a meeting of the National Security Council, the first in a year, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said the attack on the Cheonan constitutes a violation of the U.N. Charter and the armistice. He is expected to give a public address early next week on the government's countermeasures against the North.

"Depending on the government's decision, we could take military or non-military measures as early as next week," Deputy Defense Minister Jang Kwang-il said.

The South's military is considering resuming propaganda broadcasts across the border with the North, launching anti-submarine military training exercises with the U.S. and banning North Korean commercial ships from passing through South Korean waters, officials said.

In a diplomatic offensive, South Korea has said it would appeal to the U.N. Security Council to punish the North for the sinking.

On Thursday, North Korea's National Defense Commission expressed its intent to send its own investigators to Seoul to assess the investigation results, South Korean defense officials said.

The Seoul government's position is that the issue should be handled by the UNC, they said.

kdh@yna.co.kr

Text Fwd: USFK Chief Sees Base Relocation to End in 2015

* Korea Times
03-21-2010 20:04
USFK Chief Sees Base Relocation to End in 2015

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK),
indicated that it could take five or six years before U.S. troops move
to a consolidated military base south of the Han River due to the size
and complexity of the massive relocation project.

Sharp, who also serves as chief of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces
Command and the United Nations Command, made the remarks in an
interview with the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military news paper.

The four-star general didn't give an exact date for the move,
according to the newspaper. The base relocation had been set by
previous USFK commanders for 2008 and later for 2012.

The move of U.S. troops to south of Seoul is part of a broader U.S.
military realignment abroad and also a major step in the USFK shifting
to a supporting role in the next few years as the South Korean
military assumes the key responsibility for its national defense.

Observers see the mission of Camp Humphreys, the consolidated base in
Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, will be gradually less focused on the
threat from North Korea and more on threats elsewhere in the region.
Works to expand the camp are under way with investment of some $13
billion.

"We're progressing well," Sharp said, adding there are still
difficulties coordinating construction and moving troops and their
families.

The move to Humphreys will roughly halve the number of U.S. military
installations in South Korea from about 105 to 45, said the commander.

Sharp said he was satisfied with the results of the latest Key Resolve
joint war exercises with the ROK military, which ended last Thursday.

Part of the exercise tackled what the two countries would do during
and before a North Korean attack, including trying to deescalate the
crisis before it turns into a war and how to bring in additional
troops, he said.

Citing the South Korean staff's active participation in the
simulation-driven command-post exercise, Sharp said, "They were in the
battle rhythm of us making decisions, of us coordinating with them, of
them giving recommendations.

"It was more than them just watching us. It was them participating
with us," he added.

South Korean commanders will take over operational control of their
troops during wartime beginning April 17, 2012. Currently, the USFK
commander holds the responsibility.

About 28,000 U.S. forces are stationed here as a deterrent against North Korea.

* Related article

Stars and Stripes ( * Information thankfully sent from Lindis Percy on March 21, 2010
USFK commander sees Humphreys move in 5 to 6 years
By Ashley Rowland,
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 21, 2010

[Translation Fwd] 2010 SK-US Key Resolve Military Exercise would be March 8 to 18

* Image source: Tongil News, Cho Sung-Bong, March 14, 2009
'Activists protest against the Key Resolve war drill last year'

Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea
Click the link above for more photos and images.
The site was for last year so there could be change this year.
For example, it was known that the aircraft carrier would not join the war drill this year,
not to provoke the North Korea.

Click the image for larger view

Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea
(translation added by No Base Stories of Korea)

Click the link above for more photos and images.
The site was for last year so there could be change this year.
For example, it was known that the aircraft carrier would not join the war drill this year,
not to provoke the North Korea.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

* Below is the arbitrary translation of the article below.


Tongil News
SK-US Key Resolve Military Exercise would be 8 to 18, Next Month:
US-SK Combined Forces Command Announces to the DPRK military Panmunjeom representative committee
Feb. 17, Wednesday, 2010
Lee Gwang-Gil(gklee68 (at) tongilnews.com)

Walter Sharp, Commander of the [US-SK] Combined Forces Command announced in the afternoon of Feb. 17 that the command would conduct the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 2010 (KR/FE 2010) exercises from coming March 8 to 18.

Through the press release, the commander announced its exercise purpose was “to improve the CFC ability of the defense for the South Korea.” It was known that total 18,000 U.S. soldiers, including the 10,000 USFK and 8,000 augmented forces, would join [the exercise]. The numbers of the augmented forces which were 13,000 last year were rather decreased.

He announced that the main point of the military exercise this year was specially to cultivate the abilities of the judgment & determination by the high commanders. In fact, the United States has been known that she would create the KORCOM (Korea Command) within this year, as she returns back the Operational Control right [to the ROK military] in 2012.

The Command also told that the Military Armistice Commission (MAC), United Nations Command had already noticed the exercise schedule to the DPRK military Panmunjeom representative committee. It also added that part of the military exercise would be open to press.

Due to the exercise, the possibility for the NK-US and SK-NK talks, including the six-party talks which has been stalemate even now, became remarkably row.

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: 8th US Army to Remain in Korea

* Image source: same as the article below

Korea Times
11-06-2009 18:04
8th US Army to Remain in Korea
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) will remain in South Korea even after Korean commanders take over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the U.S. military in 2012, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) announced Friday.

The United States will inaugurate a new theater command — Korea Command (KORCOM) — but the date of establishment has not been set, it said in a press release.

The confirmation came after it was reported that KORCOM will be set up next June to replace the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) in line with the 2012 OPCON transition.

"As part of OPCON transition, the U.S. military will establish a new headquarters currently called Korea Command for planning purposes," the USFK said. "The date for the establishment of KORCOM has not been set. KORCOM will be a sub-unified command and have the same relationship to Pacific Command (in Hawaii) that USFK has now."

It said EUSA's transformation, to include planned moves to the Pyeongtaek area, "confirms the United States' commitment to a strong ROK-U.S. alliance and the defense of the Korean people."

Whether or not to relocate the EUSA headquarters in Seoul to other regions, such as Hawaii where the Pacific Command is located, has been controversial because of the command's symbolic status on the Korean Peninsula.

Established in 1944 in Memphis, Tenn., EUSA became the spearhead for the United Nations Command (UNC) to halt aggression by North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, and ultimately assumed overall responsibility for conducting ground operations on the peninsula under the command of a four-star American general.

But the army command's roles and missions have been significantly reduced since the establishment of the CFC, which takes charge of wartime operations on the peninsula, in 1978.

Since then, a three-star general has taken charge of EUSA, while the CFC has been headed by a four-star general, who concurrently serves as chief of the UNC and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

Currently, EUSA's missions are limited to administrative or personnel affairs. The 150-strong command is in charge of providing forces to the CFC commander and undertaking combat support operations, such as reception, staging, onward movement and integration missions, in the event of an emergency.

Earlier this year, CFC Commander Gen. Walter Sharp reportedly said he had suggested to his superiors at the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Command that the EUSA stay in South Korea even after the 2012 transition at the request of South Korean military leaders, who fear such a move would trigger a sense of insecurity among Korean citizens.

After several years of negotiations, Seoul and Washington agreed in 2007 that Seoul would execute independent operational control of its armed forces during wartime beginning April 17, 2012. The U.S. military would primarily provide naval and air support.

The two sides agreed to disband the CFC and run separate theater commands. A South Korean-U.S. "military cooperation center," a body for combat operations, will be set up to help facilitate joint operations.

The center will comprise about 10 standing and non-standing organizations.

But South Korean conservative groups regard the command changes as a U.S. move to reduce its security commitment to South Korea.

They argue the smaller role of the USFK amid lingering threats posed by Pyongyang could tip the military balance on the peninsula.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

*Related article

Korea Herald (* Text informed by Kyle Kajihiro (kkajihiro@afsc.org)
U.S. Army headquarters to stay
By Song Sang-ho
2009.11.07

Koreans Declare the “7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River” Movement into the New Conversion Movement

* Image source*
1. Nonviolence Peaceforce Corea
2. No Base Stories of Korea
3. Original Photo by Yoo, Young-Ho, 2001, Tongil News
‘A map attached to the Korean War Armistice Agreement, July 27, 1953’ (Name of the places in English added; The author notices the DMZ line-the thick line in the middle- along with the Northern Limited Line(NLL) and Southern Limited Line(SLL) -the both lines along the DMZ- were not drawn in the sea areas during the armistice negotiation period. The arbitrary NLL in the sea areas since then has specially become the controversy and source of conflict.


Koreans Declare the “ 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River” Movement into the New Conversion Movement
July 27, 2009 (on the 56th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement)

There was a “Public Forum on the Ways of the Peaceful Solution on the Issue of Mouth of Han River and Re-Recognition of the UN Command” at the 2nd auditorium, Christian Hall, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, on July 27, 2009.

The event was hosted by the Nonviolence Peaceforce Korea and Peace Life Christian Association. It was sponsored by the ‘Committee for the 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River’, Incheon, Ganghwa committee, and Seoul preparatory committee. It was also sponsored by the Korea Committee for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. There was the photo exhibition about the 7.27 Peace Ship Launch event in the last four years by the committees and Lee, Si-Woo. It also included the video of the event last year. The statement translated below was announced before the two hour forum. The opening remark for the forum was done by Rev, Park, Hyung-Kyu & Fr. Lee, Jae-Jung and the forum was moderated by Dr. Park, Sung-Yong, Executive Chairperson of the Committee for the 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River, Secretary of the Korea Committee for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, and the representative for the Nonviolence Peaceforce Corea.

The 1 hour section was of the presentations by Seo, Bo Hyuk, Korea National Strategy Institute, on “The Korean War and the Birth, Role & Position of the UN Command”; Lee, Si-Woo, the theorist of the Mouth of Han River & peace photographer on the “ The Mouth of Han River and the Issue of the UN Command’s Jurisdiction Right”; and by Kim, Da-Sub, Attorney of Law on“the Victorious Indictment Examples in the U. S. courts around the Cases of the Crash of the Fighter Plane and Death of the Korean Pilot” .

The 2nd 30 minute section was the discussion by Cheong, Wooksik, representative of the Peace Network, Lee, Jong-Chul, Korea Peace Institute and the suggestion by Park, Jong-Ryol, representative of the Committee for the 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River.

The final section was discussed with the audience. There were many village people & organizers from the Ganghwa Island and Kyodong Island, who actively participated for the questions and suggestions.




[Below is the temporary unofficial translation of the statement and needs check & proofreading. The original Korean site is Nonviolence Peaceforce Corea.]

http://peacewave.net/bbs/zboard.php?id=N01&no=176

Statement Urging for Peace
Toward the Governments of the South and North Korea

We Declare the “ 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River” Movement into the New Conversion Movement:

- Han River as the River for Reconciliation and Co-Living,
Cease Fire Agreement into the Peace Agreement-

As today is the 56th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement (Cease Fire Agreement), we meditate the event of launching the ‘Peace Ship’ four times at the mouth of Han River during the last [4 years], and urge the positive will for the new conversion of the mass peace movement by the civil society and for the peaceful co-existence by the both South & North Korean authorities so that we can take a first step toward the peaceful formation of the Korean peninsula at the mouth of Han River.

The Han River has once taken the role as the breakthrough for the ups & downs and wax & wane of the national history and for the big vein of the politics/economy/culture. However, it has become the powder magazine for the showdown by the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone] after the division and by the military confrontation between the South and North Korea. Even though the atmosphere for the reconciliation exchange and the discussion for the peaceful use of the mouth of the Han River that have waxed for a wile during the last participatory government, have progressed toward the 2.13 agreement and 10.4 conference [in 2007], they have confronted with the higher tension and crisis situation because of the counter-wind of the North Korea’s nuclear weapon development and the South Korea’s joint MD system [with the United States] & PSI participation.

The ‘Committee for the 7.27 Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River’( Committee for the Peace Ship Launch), basing on the positive clause of the safe navigation upon the Korean War Armistice Agreement, has brought the imagination of the reconciliation & exchange among all the people, media, and political system for the last 4 years since it has tried the first event for the Peace Ship Launch on July 27, 2005. However, the Peace Ship could not reach into its desired seaway because of the present frozen current, reason of safety, and the UN Command’s claim of ‘Jurisdiction’ that is not listed on the armistice agreement.

The present military showdown and the confrontational phase the authorities of the South & North Korea have reached to be immediately replaced with the co-trust & negotiation toward the peaceful reunification. We confirm for the Han river that has existed as of the blocked and the killing, to be conversed into reconciliation & co-existence, there have to be co-efforts of: Building the peaceful atmosphere in the political areas of the South & North; Revealing of the truth on the Jurisdiction [claimed by the] UN Command and the readjustment of its role through the international co-operation; and the strengthening of the power of the civil society.

We, especially begin not only with the mass movement for the peaceful reconciliation & co-existence but also with the self-examination that we solve our current issue by ourselves and with the alternative-suggestion movement . For that, we intend to open the mouth of Han River, the river of the killing & war as the practical zone for peace & life, through today’s “Public Symposium for the Ways of the Peaceful Solution for the Mouth of Han River and Re-Recognition of the UN Command”. For that, we declare to do as below.

First, we will re-illuminate the responsibility area by the international law on the UN Command and strengthen the international co-operation for defining the proper position of the UN Command, through the research on the proper role of the UN Command which has blocked the free navigation of the civilian ship in the mouth of Han river.

Second, we urge the both authorities of the North & South Korea to bring into the positive solution for the safe navigation for the civilian ships in the mouth of Han river and for the multiple infra-peace buildings on the ecological heath & peaceful resource development in the area of the mouth of Han river.

Third, we suggest: To restore the seaways between the North & South to heal the suffering & pain of the home-losing migrants [during the war] , to co-exchange the civilians and materials at the areas of the mouth of Han river so that it can contribute the development of the home in the North Korea; and to drive the Kyodong island at the north tip of the Gwanghwa island into a ‘ Peace Island’. [* If you see the Gangwha map in the wikipedia, you can see how most sites do mot corectly reflect the Korea DMZ line. In fact, the DMZ line did nor exist in the original maps during the Koraen War Armistice Agreement, the researchers here have said. ]

Forth, we suggest to immediately compose the ‘Association for the Peace Policy of the Mouth of Han River’, of regional authorities, specialists and civil groups, to consistently drive toward the peace & ecological health of the mouth of Han river.

Five, we will have solidarity with all the people who love life& peace, the general value of all the human being so that the cease fire agreement can be conversed into the peace agreement, through the setting of the life & peace area. We will also try to make our efforts to dissolve the social division, confrontation & conflict through the peace campaign so that the future generations inherit the peaceful Korean peninsula.

Participating individuals and groups for the Peace Ship Launch in the Mouth of Han River


July 27, 2009


* Related blogs

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/text-fwd-significance-of-kaesung-as.html
Friday, July 31, 2009
Text Fwd: The Significance of Kaesung as the City of Peace


http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/text-fwd-s-korea-fishing-boat-taken-to.html
Friday, July 31, 2009
Text Fwd: S. Korea fishing boat taken to N. Korea port after traveling over the NLL


http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/text-fwd-united-nations-command.html
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Text Fwd: The United Nations Command Informed the North Korea of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian

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


* Related English articles

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/korea/kwarmagr072753.html
Text of the Korean War Armistice War Agreement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Korea
Constitution of the Republic of Korea



* Related Korean articles/ photos/ Videos

http://www.worldmarch.kr/?document_srl=712#0

http://www.worldmarch.kr/?document_srl=599#0

http://peacewave.net/bbs/zboard.php?id=N01&no=175

http://www.tongilnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=73348
[긴급 ]한강하구에 쏟아지는 섣부른 공약
이시우 사진가가 옥중에서 보내온 서신
2007년 06월 26일 (화) 18:41:56 이시우
[Express] The Awkward Promises [By the Roh Moon Hyun Governmnet] upon the Mouth of Han River : Lee, Si-Woo's Letter from the Jail, June 26, 2007

http://blog.daum.net/_blog/ArticleCateList.do?blogid=0LWxq&CATEGORYID=741877&dispkind=B2203#ajax_history_home
Series on the Mouth of Han River by Lee, Si-Woo

http://cafe.naver.com/umania.cafe?iframe_url=/ArticleRead.nhn%3Farticleid=637

http://www.tagstory.com/video/video_post.aspx?media_id=V000076971

http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=615bum&logNo=60079616240

Text Fwd: The United Nations Command Informed the North Korea of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian

* Image source: Solidarity for Reunification of Korea(SPARK)
Protest against the UFG exercise in front of the TANGO( Theater, Air, Navy, Ground Operation), War Command Center, Seongnam, South of Seoul, Aug. 18, 2008

Below is the unofficial translation of the Tongil News(meaning 'Unification News') and needs proofreading.

The United Nations Command Informed the North Korea of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian, a Joint Military Exercise between the United States-South Korea,
next Month [August] 17 to 27:
Emphasizing It is a “Defense Exercise Not A Provocative Action”
July 24, 2009, Friday, Tongil News, Jung, Myeong-jin, mjjung@tongilnews.com

The 2009 Ulchi Freedom Guardian(UFG), a joint military training is practiced during the next month, 17 to 27.

The Combined Forces Command(Commander Walter Sharp) revealing as above on [July] 24, said that “The United Nations Command informed the North Korea of the 09 Ulchi Freedom Guardian that it is for the defense-related military readiness exercise, not the provocative actions in any aspects.”

Next, he repeatedly emphasized that “ Like any exercise, the 09 UFG is a common defensive exercise to make progress of the abilities of the US-SK alliance to protect the South Korea from the foreign invasion.”

The characteristic of the exercise this time is that the new US-SK joint operation plan is applied instead the existing ‘Operational Plan 5027’. The military has driven this with the aim of completing the US-SK joint operational plan by July, which has been renewed following the plan of the transfer of the wartime operational control right in 2012.

Since last year, the UFG has been processed with the lead by Korean Joint Forces that is the Korean combat command headquarter and with the support by the United States Forces Korea Command(KORCOM). So to speak, it is exercising the ‘Korean Forces leading-United States Forces supporting system’.

It is to intend to apply the OP 5027 to the Key Resolve/ Foal Eagle in every March, exercising the current ‘combined defense system’ and to apply the new operational plan to every August, exercising the ‘joint defense system’, preparing the transfer of the operational control right.

The Unchi Freedom Guardian, renamed from the existing Ulchi Focus Lenz(UFL), this time is the biggest exercise with 10,000 United States Forces of Korea, 56,000 Korean Forces and 400,000 people from 4,000 institutes, including the public officers from the central government and the regional autonomy groups.

The repulsion of the North Korea against the US-SK UFG exercise is expected. In last August, the North Korea has revealed its criticizing position against the exercise through the spokesperson of the Panmunjeom representative committee of the DPRK military, of the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Father Land, DPRK, of the Department of the Foreign Affairs, DPRK, last August.

At the time, the spokesperson of the Panmunjeom representative committee has said the UFG exercise was “the new North Korea-invasion exercise, aimed to strengthen the ground operational ability, having the South Korean puppet military as cannon fodders and to increase the effects of the mid-long range precision attack and rapid maneuver attack by the U.S.A. imperialism invasion force against out strategic points.”

Otherwise, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) added that “ Because there is no field maneuver exercise in the 09 UFG, there will no reporting chance related to the exercise.” The UFG exercise is commonly composed of the CPX exercise being utilized with computer simulation.

ⓒ 통일뉴스(http://www.tongilnews.com)


* Photos of Protest against the UFG, in 2007, 2008(Source: SPARK)

Aug. 20, 2007
Aug. 18, 2008 Aug. 19, 2008 Aug. 20, 2008 Aug. 21, 2008 Aug. 22, 2008


* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/07/text-fwd-us-forces-have-plans-for.html
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Text Fwd: U.S. Forces 'Have Plans' for N.Korea After Kim Jong-il


* Related English articles

StopNATO
US, South Korea To Hold Annual War Simulation Exercises, July 24, 2009

Yonhap News
S. Korea, U.S. notify N. Korea of joint war game plan, July 24, 2009

KBS World
S.Korea, US to Hold Joint Defense Exercise in August, 2009-07-24


* Related Korean article

http://minbyun.org/?document_srl=6160
(original site: SPARK (Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea)
작전통제권 전면 환수 및 유엔사 해체 촉구 각계인사 선언
Statement from the Various Fields Regarding the Whole Returning Back of the Operational Control Right and the Dissolution of the United Nations Command
June 29, 2007

Text Fwd: U.S. consolidating forces at new base in S. Korea

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090301/NEWS08/903010359/1018

Posted on: Sunday, March 1, 2009
U.S. consolidating forces at new base in S. Korea
By Richard Halloran

PYONGTAEK, South Korea — The cold wind sweeps down from the Siberian steppes across Manchuria and onto the Korean peninsula, thence to brush over a wide expanse of rice paddies on which is being built a huge American military base. From here, expeditions could be launched to any troubled place in Asia.

The conversion of Camp Humphreys, long a small isolated post, into the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys over the next eight years will turn it, along with the nearby U.S. air base at Osan, into a hub in the consolidation of U.S. forces in South Korea into 47 posts from the present 104 sites.

Of the 28,500 U.S. troops remaining in Korea after recent reductions, 18,000 will be here and another 5,600 in Osan.

The mission of this garrison and the air base will be less focused on the threat from North Korea, which can be met by South Korea's increasingly strong forces, and more on threats elsewhere in this region.

"Our mission is to provide the Army the installation capabilities and services to support expeditionary operations in a time of persistent conflict," said David Frodsham, a senior civilian official overseeing the garrison's expansion.

A senior military officer at U.S. Forces Korea in Seoul said that consolidating American military units into U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys would provide "increased strategic flexibility" to respond to crises elsewhere. The project will cost $13 billion, of which 90 percent is being funded by South Korea to persuade the U.S. to keep its troops here. If the U.S. ever decides to withdraw those forces, the South Koreans would inherit the modern base.

These changes in Korea are part of a realignment of U.S. forces throughout the Pacific. Nearly half of the 17,000 Marines in Okinawa, Japan, are to be moved to Guam. That central Pacific island, which is U.S. territory, is being built into a major air and naval base. A small base in Singapore is coming in for more use, U.S. forces train more in Australia, and the U.S. hopes someday to gain access to Indonesian bases.

Over the next few years, the headquarters of the United Nations Command led by an American four-star general will move here from Seoul as will the headquarters of U.S. Forces Korea and those of its Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and special operations components. The Air Force headquarters is already in Osan. The U.N. command has been here since it fought the Korean War of 1950-53.

The Army's 2nd Infantry Division, its brigade combat team, artillery, helicopter and other units will move from posts north of Seoul to this garrison 55 miles south of Seoul and 85 miles from the demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea. So will a long list of intelligence, signal, medical, engineering, and logistics units.

The date around which many moves are planned is April 2012, when South Korea assumes wartime operational control of its forces now under a combined U.S.-South Korea command, which will free U.S. forces to concentrate on contingency plans elsewhere. South Korea already has peacetime operational control of its troops.

In Pyongtaek, U.S. Army engineers have undertaken what they say is their largest project ever. The size of the post is to be tripled, to 3,600 acres. Since the expansion lies in a flood plain barely above sea level, the engineers have begun covering it with dirt to raise the plain eight feet that will be protected by a levee ten feet high. In all, it will take 1 million loads in dump trucks to complete the task.

The new post must accommodate the troops, headquarters, motor pools, and firing ranges, plus 35,000 members of families expected here. Until now, troop tours in Korea have been for one year, unaccompanied by families. That is being extended to three years accompanied by families, which requires new housing, schools, medical clinics, sports fields and movie theaters.

The engineers are building high-rise offices for commanders, barracks for troops, and buildings with spacious family apartments. That housing, plus recreational facilities that include a gym with basketball courts worthy of the pros, an Olympic swimming pool, and world class exercise equipment, are intended to make Pyongtaek a choice assignment.

Richard Halloran, formerly with The New York Times as a foreign correspondent in Asia and military correspondent in Washington, is a freelance writer in Honolulu.

Text fwd: S. Korea encouraged UN Command to ignore N. Korea’s proposal for talks

*Image Source/caption*

'PANMUNJEOM -- North Korean soldiers look southward inside the Demilitarized Zone in the truce village of Panmunjeom on November 21, 2008.'

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/342354.html

S. Korea encouraged UN Command to ignore N. Korea’s proposal for talks
Talks took place only because of agreement from the U.S., according to one source
Hankyeoreh, posted on March 5, 2009

The South Korean government suggested the United Nations Command ignore a proposition made by North Korea on Feb. 28 that there be top military talks between the North and the UN Command, but the United States said yes to the same meeting that eventually took place on March 2, saying it would be better to actually meet and talk.

According to a source knowledgeable about the U.S.-South Korean relationship, the talks between the North and the UN Command of March 2 happened only because the United States said it would meet with the Northerners in its capacity as part of the UN Command after Seoul said it wanted to ignore the North’s proposal and not have a meeting.

“The different judgments and responses by Seoul and Washington show you there are no small differences between the two countries about how they view the recent political situation on the Korean Peninsula and their strategies for dealing with the North,” the source said. The reason the UN Command met with the North on March 2 without first having revealed the North had proposed the closed meeting appears to have been because South Korean and American authorities needed time to reconcile their positions.

A South Korean Ministry of National Defense official, however, insisted that “our government was positive about the talks from the very start” and that there “weren’t any points of discord or differences of opinion between us and the Americans.”

While the Seoul government has said close to nothing about the talks, the UN Command and American officials are calling the meeting “useful,” with a U.S. State Department spokesperson saying the United States welcomes such talks since they “prevent misunderstanding.”

The meeting March 2 was a “general-level” military talk, the first of its kind in roughly six and a half years. A “colonel-level” meeting is scheduled on March 5 and a “general-level” meting on March 6. Both meetings will take place in Panmunjom.

The North proposed the March 2 meeting on Feb. 28, when it sent a prepared telephone statement in the name of an “official responsible for working-level military affairs” in “North-South Management Sector of the West and East Sea Zone.” The statement criticized what it called “American military provocations in the North-South Management Sector” (nambuk gwalli guyeok) and called for the end to U.S.-South Korean military exercises scheduled for March 9-20.

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

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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61074
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http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/03/stop-key-resolve-war-exercise.html