Fwd: Residents in Cheolwon, prevent again the anti-North Korean leaflet distribution on March 26

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* Related blog
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Fwd: South Korean Residents near the DMZ oppose and prevent the right wing’s leaflet distribution against North Korea
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* The below is the summary translation of the SPARK article(same source with the below images), uploaded on March 27.

*All the image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea 평화와 통일을 여는 사람들(클릭)
The Cheolwon residents are preventing right wing groups' truck filled with ballons and leaflets mobilizing their own cultivators and tractors on March 26, 2011.

A South Korean military's introduction notice to the local residents regarding Anti-NK leaflet distribution

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On March 26, the residents in Cheolwon, mobilizing cultivators and tractors prevented the anti-North Korean groups’ anti-North Korean leaflet distribution plan which was in the height upon the 1st year anniversary of the Cheonan ship incident. The similar thing happened on March 18 as well when the groups attempted to make entry of 3buses and a truck loaded with gas and leaflets like on March 26. Such residents’ protests have happened in Paju on March 10, March 18 and 26 in Cheolwon and Paekryongdo on March 24.

Such current well reflect South Koreans’ changing consciousness, having gone through the Cheonan ship and Yeonpyeong-do incident last year. Whatever the reasons are, there seem widely spreading sentiments in South Korea that the South Korea should not provoke North Korea, which brings militaristic clash with her and that the inter-Korean militaristic tension and confrontation should be resolved with peace that should be realized soon.

Among many civilian letters, there was a letter by a resident in Cheolwon as the below:

“I am one of the third generation of a family who have been living near 90 years through four generations in Cheolwon. You may leave Cheolwon after make flying balloons that provoke North Korea in our town, being satisfied with your jobs done. The 50,000 soldiers in Cheolwon are living under the North Koreans’ fire range. Even though there may be many opinions, please do not take anything that may provoke North Korea. I do not know either politics, ideology or any political idea. My only wish is that my family live peacefully without any disastrous accidents. You may detour your methods if you think your deed may cause damage to the others. Most of Cheolwon residents came from the refugees during the Korean War. Taken off with our hometowns, we are poor people waiting for unification, living nevertheless in the nearest place from the North where we look for our robbed hometowns.”

Text Fwd: Following Cheonan friction, S.Korea at a diplomatic crossroads

The Hankyoreh Peace Institute, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, and the Three Press Groups‘ Verification Committee of the Results of the Cheonan Investigation host an event on the anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan entitled, “Cheonan Truth and Democracy, and Peace on the Korean Peninsula,” at the National Assembly, Mar. 24. (Photo by Tak Ki-hyung)　

Hankyoreh
Following Cheonan friction, S.Korea at a diplomatic crossroads
:Seoul must decide whether to adhere to its hardline position or join the international shift towards dialogue
By Yi Yong-in, Staff Writer　
March 25, 2011

The year 2010 began with a timid thaw following the frosty political situation on the Korean Peninsula resulting from North Korea’s 2009 missile launch and nuclear test. In late March of that year, Pyongyang and Washington made secret arrangements for a visit to the U.S. by North Korean First Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan. D-Day was to be mid-April. Just as the two countries were about to finalize the agreement, the Cheonan went down on Mar. 26.
With the sinking, the situation on the peninsula went into zero visibility conditions, where everything was unpredictable. Conflict deepened between Seoul and Beijing, and a clash of power arose between Washington and Beijing. In November, Yeonpyeong Island saw the first artillery attack since the end of the Korean War. The Cheonan sinking sat at the starting point of the heightening of peninsular tensions that led to an artillery exchange between North Korea and South Korea.

The Cheonan sinking brought a reprise of friction between Cold War-era camps to Northeast Asia. To begin with, South Korea, the United States, and Japan on one side and North Korea, China, and Russia on the other offered conflicting determinations as to the cause of the sinking. South Korea’s Joint Investigation Group (JIG) announced that the vessel had gone down due to a North Korean torpedo attack. After an initial silence, Washington began actively involving itself in the investigation in late April and assisted with the South Korean government’s announcement.

North Korea, in contrast, strenuously denied its involvement, and China aligned itself along with this. A government source familiar with the Cheonan investigation process recounted, “The Chinese military determined that it was not a North Korean attack based on its own intelligence, and this determination was passed on to the highest leadership level.” Russia, which dispatched its own investigation team to South Korea, concluded that the so-called “No. 1 torpedo” was “merely torpedo debris, and [the Cheonan’s sinking] is presumed to be due to a mine explosion.”
Also the subject of sharp clashing was the strategic political response to and use of the Cheonan incident. For the Barack Obama administration, which had been facing turbulence with the Yukio Hatoyama administration in Japan over the potential removal of a U.S. armed forces base on Okinawa, the Cheonan situation provided a way through the problem. Visiting Japan on May 22, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recalled the Cheonan, saying that the threat to South Korea was also a threat to Japan. The next day, Hatoyama announced that he was effectively scrapping plans to relocate the USFJ base.

The United States also saw its military influence on South Korea wax further, achieveing a restoration of the “Southern axis” of South Korea, the United States, and Japan as a check against Beijing.

Beijing protested. In particular, it vehemently criticized the U.S.’s introduction of its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the West Sea during joint exercises with the South Korean military, and expressed strong suspicions that the U.S. was training to block the Taiwan Strait in the event of an emergency. Distrust and friction built up between Washington and Beijing, and between Seoul and Beijing.

In the process, North Korea and South Korea lost the power to guide the political situation. Seoul announced the “May 24 measures” in response to the Cheonan sinking, which halted all trade and exchange with North Korea except for the Kaesong Industrial Complex. It also engaged in a large-scale naval show of force with the U.S.

One year later, the peninsula finds itself at a crossroads. After carrying on an intense battle of wills for around one year, Washington and Beijing declared a “strategic partnership” at a Jan. 19 summit meeting. The U.S. cautiously began to look for ways to get dialogue going with Pyongyang via the resumption of food aid to North Korea.

With the countries surrounding the peninsula apparently having changed course toward negotiation, the Lee Myung-bak administration is now facing a fork in the road. Will it join in the larger trend, even if it means skirting the Cheonan issue at the risk of protests from domestic North Korea hard-liners, or will it carry on holding out against pressure from the international community to improve its relations with Pyongyang? Analysts say that this choice will determine whether the peninsula proceeds toward peace and stability or conflict and friction.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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See also
Citizens present flowers at the group memorial for sailors in the week leading up to the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan, Mar. 24. (Photo by Rhee Jong-chan)

Hankyoreh
Cheonan 1 year later: enduring doubts and unyielding posture
:As the Lee administration released a white paper, scientists continued to question the evidence presented by the JIG
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff Writer
March 25, 2011

“The investigation findings stating that the Cheonan sank due to a CHT-02D torpedo fired by North Korea are a patently confirmed truth, and it is unfortunate that there are some people who are unable to believe this truth.” This has frequent statement from military authorities has continued recently as the one-year anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan approaches.

READ MORE

Text Fwd: Shameful national security education videos

Hankyoreh Editorial
Shameful national security education videos
March 12, 2011

The Lee Myung-bak administration has been making and distributing national security education videos contending that those who questioned the findings of the investigation in the sinking of the Cheonan were responsible for North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island. In addition to the patently absurd argument, the fact that the video stars film actor Lee Jun-ki, who is currently performing his mandatory military service, is adding to the controversy.

The 18-minute “Government-standard National Security Video for Young People” was produced by the Defense Media Agency and circulated to kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools around the country beginning on Mar. 7. The video introduces Lee while citing “dividing the South Korean people” as one of the reasons for the North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. Wearing a black beret and introduced as “national security teacher for a day,” Lee opens by saying, “All South Koreans must properly understand the national security situation and respond with a single mind and a single will.”

A cartoon character with the voice of a young boy goes on to bring up the controversy surrounding the government's announcement of the Cheonan investigation findings. “People who do not even believe something brought to light through the participation of authorities from the different advanced nations caused divisions among the South Korean people,” the voice says. “If, instead of fighting in that way, our people had put their power together to prepare thoroughly, maybe we could have prevented the Yeonpyeong Island provocation.”

After this, Lee Jun-ki delivers the final remarks, with a skillful overlap between the controversial content and his image. This video betrays a one-sided understanding of the situation centering on the government’s position. The debate over the government’s Cheonan findings raged fiercely everywhere from the United Nations Security Council to the South Korean National Assembly. Nor can it be said that it has yet been resolved. Moreover, it is utterly baseless to make the leap of attributing North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island to the debate over the Cheonan’s sinking in South Korean society. Infusing this kind of information into young minds is not only not educational, but it contributes nothing to strengthening our national security posture either.

Also problematic is the fact that military authorities made free use of the image of an entertainer who has joined the military. One wonders about Lee Jun-ki’s own thoughts, under freer conditions, over the Cheonan debate that is pitting government and certain quarters of civil society against each other. He supported the candlelight vigil demonstrations in 2008, and he put up memorial posts on his mini-home page after the deaths of former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. Internet users have called him an “entertainer with a clue.”

If he was enlisted for a public relations video irrespective of his free will, this could be termed image exploitation that runs counter to human rights. No one has the right to take advantage of the weakness of a soldier unable to refuse orders and to force him to engage in PR activities that go against his image and convictions.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: N. Korea threatens to shoot directly at S. Korean border facilities

* South Korean propaganda aginst North Korea

Yonhap News
N. Korea threatens to shoot directly at S. Korean border facilities
Feb. 27, 2011

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Sunday threatened to fire aimed shots at South Korean facilities involved in "psychological warfare" in a self-defense action, unless the South suspends its propaganda campaign.

"The on-going psychological warfare by the puppet military in the frontline area is a treacherous deed and a wanton challenge to the demand of the times and desire of all the fellow countrymen to bring about a new phase of peaceful reunification and national prosperity through all-round dialogue and negotiations," a North Korean military official told the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"We officially notify that our army will stage a direct fire at the (Imjin) Pavilion and other sources of the anti-DPRK psychological warfare to destroy them on the principle of self-defense, if such actions last despite our repeated warning," the official added. "The group of traitors in South Korea must stop the anti-DPRK psychological warfare at once, squarely seeing the seriousness of the prevailing situation."

DPRK is an acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Also on Sunday, North Korean representatives at Panmunjom, the inter-Korean border village, reiterated their usual threat against the annual Key Resolve military drills between South Korea and the U.S. forces, which will begin Monday.

The North Korean officials said their armed forces would launch "an all-out war of unprecedented scale" and turn Seoul into "a sea of fire" if the South Korean and the U.S. "invaders" provoked Pyongyang with a threat of war.

Imjingak, a tourism pavilion located just south of Panmunjom, has made headlines, as hundreds of South Korean activists frequently sent anti-North Korea flyers and materials from there.

The North's warning of the direct strike came in light of a recent admission by the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul that the South Korean military has been sending propaganda leaflets in balloons to North Korea, mixing them with life supplies. The leaflets warned the North Korean regime about the consequences of dictatorship, according to a report by the ministry.

A South Korean government source said on Sunday that these leaflets contained details about recent anti-government movements in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, countries where civilian activists have tried to take down long-time rulers.

"I understand thousands of leaflets talked about what has taken place in Egypt and Libya and argued that dictatorship and hereditary regimes (such as the one in Pyongyang) are bound to fail," the official said. "We plan to update the ongoing developments in the Middle East and send more leaflets sometime next month."

North Korea, which has carved a cult of personality for its leader, Kim Jong-il, and his regime, has balked at South Korean activists' sending of balloons carrying leaflets criticizing the communist state and at Seoul's refusal to stop them. South Korea in 2004 agreed to halt such activities amid warming relations.

But after a multinational investigation in May last year found Pyongyang responsible for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship, Cheonan, in March, Seoul announced a plan to blast anti-North Korea messages through loudspeakers along the border. The North threatened to strike the speakers if they are turned on.

Before Christmas last year, South Korea lit up a giant Christmas tree on top of a border hill -- an action North Korea sees as part of psychological warfare -- for the first time since 2003, a month after North Korea fired artillery at the South Korean western island of Yeonpyeong.

The glowing tree had served as a symbol of prosperity in the South and provided a stark contrast to the destitute North, which had been concerned that the lights would weaken the communist regime's ideological stranglehold of its people.

North Korea, which has carved a cult of personality for its leader, Kim Jong-il, and his regime, has balked at South Korean activists' sending of balloons carrying leaflets criticizing the communist state and at Seoul's refusal to stop them. South Korea in 2004 agreed to halt such activities amid warming relations.

But after a multinational investigation in May last year found Pyongyang responsible for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship, Cheonan, in March, Seoul announced a plan to blast anti-North Korea messages through loudspeakers along the border. The North threatened to strike the speakers if they are turned on.

Before Christmas last year, South Korea lit up a giant Christmas tree on top of a border hill -- an action North Korea sees as part of psychological warfare -- for the first time since 2003, a month after North Korea fired artillery at the South Korean western island of Yeonpyeong.

The glowing tree had served as a symbol of prosperity in the South and provided a stark contrast to the destitute North, which had been concerned that the lights would weaken the communist regime's ideological stranglehold of its people. (jeeho@yna.co.kr)

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See also Korea Times

Text Fwd: 31 N. Koreans arrive in S. Korea by boat, but no wish to defect

Yonhap News
31 N. Koreans arrive in S. Korea by boat, but no wish to defect
2011/02/07 11:25 KST


31 N. Koreans arrive in S. Korea by boat, but no wish to defect SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- Thirty-one North Korean people crossed the tense Yellow Sea border by boat and arrived in South Korea two days ago, but they have not expressed any wishes to defect to the South, a military official said Monday.

The North Koreans, consisting of 11 men and 20 women, arrived on Yeonpyeong Island by a wooden fishing boat in thick fog at around 11 a.m. Saturday and were towed away to the western port city of Incheon, said the official at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"So far, the North Koreans have not expressed a wish to defect," the official said, asking not to be named because an investigation is still under way.

The official confirmed that the North Koreans are a "work group," not family members.

The JCS official said intelligence authorities will announce details after their interrogation is finished.

Another military official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said investigators are looking into the possibility that the North Koreans arrived on Yeonpyeong Island after drifting at sea.

There are no children among the North Koreans, and they were believed to have left North Korea's western port city of Nampo, about 60 kilometers southwest of Pyongyang, according to the military official.

"Given the circumstances so far, they might have been drifting after setting the wrong coordinates or losing power on their boat," the military official said.

The arrival of North Koreans also came at a sensitive time as military officials from Seoul and Pyongyang are set to hold their first dialogue on Tuesday since the North's deadly attack of Yeonpyeong last November.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have remained high since the North shelled Yeonpyeong, killing two civilians and two marines.

More than 20,000 North Koreans have arrived in South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

kdh@yna.co.kr

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: Seoul to deploy Israeli guided missiles on Yeonpyeong in Feb.

Spike anti-tank guided missile

Korea Times
Seoul to deploy Israeli guided missiles on Yeonpyeong in Feb.
01-04-2011

Attack copters to be stationed on the island

By Jung Sung-ki

South Korea’s military plans to deploy Israeli-built precision-guided anti-tank missiles to Yeonpyeong Island next month near the western sea border with North Korea, a government source said Tuesday.

The deployment of the GPS-guided “Spike” missile is part of efforts to help achieve an early fortification of Yeonpyeong and four other islands near the border ― Northern Limit Line (NLL) ― vulnerable to North Korean provocations, the source told The Korea Times.

In its year-end report to President Lee Myung-bak last month, the Ministry of National Defense unveiled a plan to beef up the security of the five islands near the border including deployment of the missiles. The ministry said that it would create a West Sea defense command, comprising 12,000 troops from the three services, to that end.

On top of that, the military has also decided to permanently deploy at least four AH-1S Cobra helicopters to Yeonpyeong in a bid to thwart North Korea’s possible maritime infiltration of the border islands.

“The Cobra helicopters will be shipped to the island soon and stationed there to deter a North Korean infiltration,” said the source.

On Nov. 23, the North fired about 170 shells from its coastal artillery guns and multiple rocket launchers onto Yeonpyeong, killing four South Koreans. The South failed to strike the enemy artillery guns precisely because most of the North’s weapons are hidden in mountain tunnels or caves.

The Spike missile, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advance Defense System, is said to be capable of neutralizing such enemy strongholds, as the missile is equipped with a high-explosive warhead and automatic self-guidance systems led by an imaging infrared seeker.

Last month, Seoul’s National Assembly endorsed nearly 90 billion won to buy Spike systems. The Assembly also approved budget plans to acquire advanced weapons systems, such as artillery-detecting radar, bunker-busting bombs and precision air-to-ground missiles, to be used in defending the border islands.

“Scores of Spike units will be procured from the Israeli military under a government-to-government negotiation in an effort to speed up the deployment of high-tech weapons systems on Yeonpyeong,” said the source.

Originally, the Seoul government sought to purchase the missile system from the manufacturer. But the manufacturer said it didn’t have enough in its inventory, so it would take at least a year to deliver new products to South Korea, according to the source.



[단독] 이스라엘 ‘스파이크’ 미사일 2월 연평도 배치 완료 정성기 기자 이스라엘제 정밀 타격 대전차 미사일이 이르면 다음달 중 연평도에 배치될 예정인 것으로 확인됐다. 스파이크라 불리는 이 미사일의 연평도 배치는 지난 11월 북한의 포격을 받은 연평도를 포함한 서해 5도의 조기 요새화를 위한 움직임으로 해석된다. 국방부는 지난달 대통령 업무 보고에서 서해 5도의 방어와 조기 요새화를 위해서 서해 사령부 창설은 물론 첨단 무기 체계들을 배치하는 계획을 발표한 바 있다. 이와 관련 군은 북한의 해상 침투 차단을 위해 AH-1S 코브라 공격 헬기 4대 가량을 연평도에 상주 배치하는 안도 확정한 것으로 확인 됐다. 한 정부 소식통은 “코브라 헬기는 곧 배로 연평도로 이송될 예정”라며 “북한의 침투에 대비한 배치”라고 전했다. 지난 11월23일 연평도 포격 당시 남측은 대부분 갱도에 배치된 북한의 해안포를 무력화 시키는데 실패했다. 이스라엘의 라파엘 社가 개발한 스파이크 미사일은 고폭 탄두와 적외선 센서 등의 자동 제어 시스템이 탑재되어 있어 갱도진지를 파괴하는데 효과적인 것으로 알려진다. 소식통은 “수 기의 스파이크 체계와 수십여발의 미사일을 우선적으로 들여올 예정이며 서해 5도 조기 요새화를 위해서 정부 대 정부 협상으로 이스라엘 군에 배치된 물량을 인도 받기로 했다”라고 말했다. 그는 “당초 정부는 라파엘 社로부터 직접 구매를 추진했으나 업체 측이현재 재고 물량이 없는 관계로 주문 후 최소 1년은 걸려야 새 물품을 인도할 수 있다라고 밝힘에 따라 이스라엘 군의 확보 물량을 인도 받기로 했다”라고 덧붙였다. gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: South Korea To Begin Major War Games Tomorrow

* Texts informed by Rick Rozoff on Dec. 22, 2010

Xinhua News Agency
December 22, 2010
S Korea to stage ground, air firing drill Thursday

SEOUL: South Korea plans to hold a major drill Thursday involving artillery guns and fighter jets following its live-fire drill near a disputed sea border earlier this week, the Army said Wednesday.

The ground and air firing drill, which officials said is part of routine exercises, will take place at a firing range in Pocheon, 40 kilometers northeast of Seoul and 25 kilometers south of the heavily fortified land border between the two Koreas.

It follows a firing drill Monday from the western border island of Yeonpyeong shelled last month by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The country also started Wednesday four- day sea maneuvers in waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.

The series of routine exercises come amid heightened tension in the region as South Korea remains on alert against retaliation from the DPRK, which did not immediately respond to Monday's brief shooting drill it had vehemently protested.

Related:

S Korea begins four-day sea maneuvers in East Sea

SEOUL: South Korea will hold four-day drills in waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula starting Wednesday, two days after it conducted a live-fire exercise near a tense border, the defense ministry said.

The exercise, reportedly to be held about 100 kilometers south of the eastern sea border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will involve navy vessels and Lynx helicopters, according to local reports.
China calls for restraint, dialogue on Korean Peninsula issue

BEIJING: China Tuesday urged all parties involved in the Korean Peninsula situation to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid future unfortunate incidents.

"The Korean Peninsula situation is still complicated and sensitive," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing as she called on all parties to have a responsible attitude.Full story

Russian, DPRK diplomats discuss situation on Korean peninsula

MOSCOW: Diplomats of Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) met here Tuesday and discussed possible measures to stabilize the situation on Korean peninsula.

During the meeting with the DPRK ambassador to Moscow Kim Yong Jae, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin stressed that Russia is seeking "solutions to the issues between Pyongyang and Seoul by political-diplomatic ways," according to a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Full story

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See also
Defense News
Top Chinese Diplomat: Korean Tensions Came Close To War
Agence France-Presse
December 21, 2010

Ros Business Consulting News Online
Russia Urges Resumption Of Korean Six-Party Talks
December 22, 2010

Text Fwd: [Henry Em] Interview with Henry Em on Yeonpyeong Island

* Thanks to Bruce Gagnon's Organizing Notes on Dec. 21, 2010

'The U.S. media is gloating just a bit as North Korea backed down from another military confrontation with South Korea. Right on schedule the right-wing government, led by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (nicknamed the bulldozer and the rat by his people), stepped up with another round of war games virtually on the North Korean border. These military exercises, coming regularly these days, are without a doubt being strongly encouraged by the Obama administration who themselves are taking on the role of playground bully when it comes to North Korea and Iran. Thank goodness North Korea was wise enough to show restraint as clearly the U.S. and their junior-partners in Seoul are not capable of doing so.'

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Korea Policy Institute
Interview with Henry Em on Yeonpyeong Island

December 9, 2010

On November 22, 2010, military troops from the Republic of Korea (ROK, or South Korea) and the United States began joint war-simulation exercises involving approximately 70,000 soldiers, 600 tanks, 500 warplanes, 90 helicopters, and 50 warships. On November 23, South Korean artillery units fired artillery for four hours into contested waters claimed by both Pyongyang and Seoul near the Northern Limit Line (NLL). Drawn unilaterally by the US Navy in 1953, the NLL is neither internationally recognized nor accepted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea).

North Korean artillery units responded by firing on a South Korean artillery base on Yeonpyeong Island. The South Korean marines responded by firing back at North Korean bases on the coast across from the island. On Yeonpyeong Island, a site with South Korean military bases and a fishing community of 1,300 residents, North Korean artillery killed two South Korean marines and two civilian contractors building new barracks on a military installation. The attack left eighteen others injured. North Korea has not yet disclosed its casualties, but one South Korean report indicates that one North Korean soldier was killed and two others were seriously wounded.*

(* This intro is substantively taken from the National Committee to End the Korean War's Fact Sheet on the West Sea Crisis.)

To make sense of why this dangerous and tragic situation occurred, the Korea Policy Institute interviewed Dr. Henry Em, Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at New York University (NYU). Dr. Em serves on the steering committee of the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea (ASCK) and KPI's advisory board. His teaching and research interests include Korean historiography, nationalism, colonialism, and imperialism in twentieth-century Korea, transnational and cultural studies of the Korean War, and the Korean diaspora. Among other honors, Dr. Em was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Program Fellowship, as well as grants from the Freeman Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His book Sovereignty and Modern Korean Historiography will be published by Duke University Press. His chapter on modern Korean historiography, forthcoming, will appear in volume 5 of the Oxford History of Historical Writing from Oxford University Press.

READ THE INTERVIEW

Text Fwd: South and North Korea, Cool Down and Seek Alternatives to Ease Tension!

Photo caption = Residents of Yeonpyeong Island gathered at a shelter in the morning on Monday while the evacuation order was issued ahead of the South Korean troops' live-fire exercise. Facial expressions of most of the residents look rigid on account of cold weather and nervousness. (Dec 20, 2010) Pool photo

Kyunghyang Newspaper
South and North Korea, Cool Down and Seek Alternatives to Ease Tension!
2010-12-21

Although South Korea's maritime fire drills were staged this time as professed, North Korea did not respond for once, and so, the worst situation did not materialize as was feared. It was fortunate. However, it is too early to get the feeling of relief.

As before, the South and North Korea are still under extreme state of tension, and a situation continues to exist that could thrust the whole Korean people into the depths of tragedy at any moment in an instant. South and North Korea must restrain themselves by having a cooling period, and the two sides must make active efforts to discover ideas to relieve tension.

The South Korean government holds the position that it carried out what it should do, regarding the fire drills as 'a sovereignty-related event'. The government expresses a sense of relief that North Korea did not retaliate as it professed, and it simultaneously is alerted against additional provocations from the North.

There may be lots of reasons that the North did not respond. What is worrisome is that if the Government interprets North's non-response as victory earned from South's hard-lime policy and proceeds with the hard-line basis, then South and North Korea could meet with an unpredictable and worst situation.

Now is not the time to get intoxicated with a sense of victory. Now is the time for serious contemplation as to what both sides must do to alleviate tension substantially on the Peninsula.

What is required of the South's government is a cool self-reflection. The letters "W, A, R" fly over skies of the Peninsula because of the spiking tension here. This is what the South paid as cost.

It does not end at this point. South Korea has incurred a great burden in relationships with China and Russia surrounding the resumption of the drills, and furthermore, we became indebted to the United States and Japan, which took our sides.

And it is very probable that a cold-war style confrontational aspect will deepen between South Korea-U.S.-Japan and North Korea-China-Russia surrounding this happening on the Peninsula. And, without extra special efforts, the betterment of South and North Korea relationships would not materialize. South Koreans lost too much even though the Lee government claims that a victory was won in the fight of guts against North Korea.

Currently, the Korean Peninsula is in a state of unpredictable situation where we cannot see even one inch ahead. If North Korea carries out physical response as they professed, South Korea will very probably execute its self-defensive rights as it also professed.

South and North Korea both are trapped by their own language. What the South and North should bear in mind at this point is that any additional action by either side leads both of them to failure. In this vein, both sides must seek for a turning point.

Now what follow-up response the South will take has become important. If the South maintains a hardline policy as currently, one cannot rule out the possibility of recurrence of armed clashes any time and any place.

On the contrary, if the South shifts to a dialogue policy, then the present confrontation can be transformed into a turning point for the better. The future of the Korean Peninsula depends on the South's choices.

The problem here is time. If the South Korean government does not strive to shift its policy lines swiftly, then extreme situations may recur, where all the people may fall hostage anytime.

The South Korean government needs to take an initiative to create an atmosphere for dialogue with a forward-looking stance with a view to relieving tension and reviving peace basis. In this process, serious cooperation from the North is essential, of course.

North Korea must stop inflammatory words and actions towards the South, which will not bring any substantial benefit, including additional provocations. (Ed. Dec 21, 2010)

_____________________________________________
* Related articles:

Kyunghyang Sinmun
Firing drill merely raises tension, Crisis becomes habitual status quo, Korean Peninsula enters "era of uncertainty"
Posted on : 2010-12-21

Korea Times
Dec.21, 2010
S. Korea ready for surprise attack ahead of Christmas

Yonhap News
S. Korea lights up Christmas tree on border with N. Korea amid tension
2010/12/21

Photos Fwd:[SPARK] Immediately withdraw Yeonpyeong Island artillery fire drill that instigates the 2nd Korean War!

________________________________________
* Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea, Dec. 20, 2010평화와 통일을 여는 사람들(클릭)

The banner reads:

Immediately withdraw the Yeonpyeong Island artillery fire drill that instigates all-out Korean War and counters against the resumption of the six party talks!

Place: The front gate of the Ministry of National Defense (Joint Chiefs of Staff)

By: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea

Two signs read

Peace to the Korean peninsula! Normal life to the Yeonpyeong Island residents!

Stop the artillery fire drill! Implement of the Oct. 4joint statement!

A sign reads:

Does the Lee Myung-Bak government want war in the Korean peninsula?

* The Korean sign reads: We need peace not war!





A sign reads

I truly want the ROK military does not fire! __________________________________________
* Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea, Dec. 17, 2010평화와 통일을 여는 사람들(클릭)

________________________________________

* Related articles

Kyunghyang Sinmun
What is this live-fire drill for? And whom is the military firing drill for?
Posted on : 2010-12-20

Yonhap News
N. Korea silent as S. Korea concludes live-fire drill near sea border
2010/12/20 18:31 KST

Hankyoreh
[Urgent] S. Korea begins live-fire artillery drills Yeonpyeong Island near the border Posted on : Dec.20,2010 14:35 KST

Text Fwd: UN Security Council to meet over 'Korea woes'

Korea Times
UN Security Council to meet over 'Korea woes'
By Kang Hyun-kyung
12-19-2010

Diplomatic maneuvers shifted into high gear Sunday, as South Korea plans to go ahead with a live-fire artillery drill as early as today despite North Korea’s increased threats of further retaliations.

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) met Sunday to discuss the standoff, amid concerns fueled by speculation that a war may be unavoidable if the two Koreas engage in another artillery exchange.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member, requested the UNSC hold an emergency meeting after North Korea vowed strikes against the South in case the latter goes ahead with the drill in waters near the border island of Yeonpyeong in the West Sea.

The South Korean military said Sunday that there has been no change in the drill plan, stressing it is a monthly routine training the military has done over the years.

Officials of the Joint of Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the South would stage the one-day exercise between Saturday and Tuesday, weather permitting.

The UNSC meeting took place days after Russia and China requested South and North Korea to be restrained to prevent the situation from evolving into something uncontrollable.

China and Russia calculate the standoff put their interests at risk, leading them to ratchet up diplomatic efforts with the two Koreas as tensions are showing few signs of easing after the North shelled a South Korean island on Nov. 23.

The deadly attack killed four South Koreans, including two civilians and injured 18. No accurate reports of North Korean casualties caused by South Korea’s counter-attack have been made public.

South Korea postponed the live-fire artillery drill near the western sea border to early this week due to weather conditions.

Pyongyang has beefed up its military forces on the west coast, a government official said.

"The North Korean artillery unit along the Yellow Sea has raised its preparedness level," the official said, adding that several fighter jets that had been held inside air force hangars of the west coast are now on the tarmac.

In a statement issued under the name of an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman Saturday, North Korea renewed its hostile rhetoric to attack the South if it goes ahead with the drill.

The communist state said if the South crosses “the red line” by continuing with the live-fire drill as scheduled, the Korean Peninsula will be faced with a catastrophic security situation and deadly consequences will be unavoidable.

It blamed the United States for “prodding” South Korea to be provocative.

The spokesman warned that the North never issued empty statements.

The statement came a day after North Korea warned of “self-defense strikes” against the South, which it described will be deadlier than its November attack.

North Korea stepped up the hostile rhetoric on the same day when top diplomats from Russia and China had a phone conversation over the escalating tensions between the two Koreas.

During the conversation, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov expressed worries over the situation in the region.

The two sides expressed their willingness to keep close communications and coordination with each other to prevent things from getting worse, China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.

Before the phone conversation, Russia expressed its concern over the North’s pledge of more attacks on the South if the latter goes ahead with the drill to Kim Yong-jae, North Korean ambassador to Russia.

China requested that South Korea cancel the exercise.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: Top US commander stresses cultural ties with S. Korea

* Image source: same as the link'

'Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson, Chief of 8th U.S. Army'




Korea Times

Top US commander stresses cultural ties with S. Korea
By Jung Sung-ki




12-19-2010

A top American commander in Seoul said he is confident in the U.S.-ROK ability to thwart any further North Korean provocation.

“We continue to train the ROK military and the ROK military conducts its own training in order to maintain its skills and in order to do the job to defend their own country,” Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson, commanding general of the 8th U.S. Army, said. “I’m absolutely confident that we’re prepared for whatever might come.”

South Korean marines plan to hold a maritime live-fire exercise near Yeonpyeong Island Monday or Tuesday in a show of strength against North Korean provocations. Representatives from the United Nations Command will take part as observers. North Korea has threatened to retaliate against the planned drill.

Johnson pledged efforts to boost cultural ties between the United States and South Korea in order to further strengthen the alliance of the two nations.

He was attending the annual Korea-American Friendship Holiday Concert at the Seoul Performing Arts Center.

The concert included performances by the 8th Army Band and the Prima Donna Ensemble, which features 90 of South Korea’s most talented female vocalists. More than 2,000 people, including top U.S. and South Korean generals, attended the concert.

“It’s a great opportunity during holidays to get all friends together and enjoy music,” Johnson told The Korea Times. “Music is an international language every time. Even if American companies here don’t speak perfect ‘hangeul,’ and if the Koreans come here today don’t speak that much English, they can enjoy the music and enjoy the holidays.”

When he previously served as deputy commanding general for Operations, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, band performances were used as a tool for building closer ties with Iraqi troops and civilians, he recalled.

Johnson assumed command of the 8th Army on Nov. 9 after serving as deputy commanding general of I Corps at Fort Lewis in Washington. He also serves as chief of staff for U.S. Forces Korea.

Between 2006 and 2007, Johnson served as assistant division commander for maneuvers for the 2nd Infantry Division stationed north of Seoul.

“There are a lot of ways to strengthen our alliance,” the three-star general said. “It’s already the strongest in the world. It’s envied by other countries as they see the way we operate together and the way we bond together.”

“The most recent events here illustrate even more so how important it is and for us to be united together in this alliance,” the commander said, apparently referring to a series of North Korean attacks on South Koreans.

North Korea is blamed for having torpedoed a South Korean warship near the disputed sea border in the West Sea in March. On Nov. 23, the North fired nearly 200 artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong Island near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), killing two marines and two civilians.

Photos Fwd: Pan-Korean people’s rally for the Lee Myung-Bak regime’s OUT and for the people’s right to live 이명박 정권 퇴진 민중생존권 쟁취 전국민중대회 열려

Pan Korean People’s Rally:
Lee Myung-Bak OUT!

No War! Convert the Hyundae irregular jobs to regular jobs!
No ROK-US FTA! No Four River Project!
Seoul Square/ 3pm, Dec. 18, 2010

The leaflet(front) of the rally, Dec. 18 (scanned)
Click the image for larger view
이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다

The leaflet(back) of the rally, Dec. 18 (scanned)
Click the image for larger view
이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다

________________________________________________
* Related blogs 관련 블로그들

Friday, December 17, 2010
Photo Fwd: The new-elected chairpersons of the pan-Korean university student body announce ‘ No war-statement regarding the state of affairs

Friday, December 17, 2010
Text Fwd: S. Korea to stage live-fire drill on border island shelled by N. Korea

Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Poster Fwd: Pan-Korean People's Rally on Dec. 18
________________________________________________

* Photo credits if the below two: Kim Do-Yeon, News Cham, Dec. 18, 2010 김도연, 뉴스 참, 2010년 12월 18일

Pan-Korean people’s rally for the Lee Myung-Bak regime’s OUT and for the people’s right to live,
3pm, Seoul Square

* A sign reads:

Jeong Mong-Goo, President of the Hyundae Automobile Co.,
Stop a raging wind of oppression on labor union!

(The spark for people's liberation-The 53rd student body of the Seoul University (Preparatory)

________________________________________________
* Photo credits if the below seven: Yang Ji –Woong, Voice of People, Dec. 18, 2010 양지웅, 민중의 소리

* A sign reads: Peace to the Yeonpyeong-do! Routine life to its residents! (SPARK)

The two signs read:

Does the Lee Myung-Bak government want war?(SPARK)
Peace can never be brought by the Yeonpyong-do fire drill!(SPARK)

The red signs read:
Lee Myung-Bak government OUT!

Kim Young-Hoon, The Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions speaks

The yellow signs read:
Let's win the people's right to live!

Lets' hold the candles of vision again!

The green sign reads:
Let's make the West Sea (Yellow Sea) into the Sea of Peace!(SPARK)

________________________________________________

* Video source: Kim Joon-Chul, Voice of People, Dec. 17, 2010, 김준철, 민중의 소리
많은 의혹 품은 연평도 훈련 중단하라!
Stop the Yeonpyeong-do drill of many suspicions!



민주노동당과 평화와통일을여는사람들, 한국진보연대 등 시민사회단체는 17일 국방부 앞에서 기자회견을 열고 18일 부터 21일 사이에 재개하는 '연평도 사격훈련을 철회할 것을 촉구했다.

The civic organizations such as the Democratic Labor Party, the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea, Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements, having the press interview on front of the Ministry of National Defense on Dec. 17, 2010, demanded to stop the Yeonpyeong-do fire drill which that been resumed between Dec. 18 to 21. 2010.
________________________________________________

국문: 한국 단체들 논평 및 성명서

1. [제 단체 12월 17일 공동 성명서] 전쟁위기 조장하는 연평도 사격훈련 즉각 철회하라

발제:

합동참모본부는 18일부터 21일 사이에 재개하기로 발표한 연평도 사격훈련 계획을 즉각 철회해야 한다.

우리는 이명박 정부가 국회 날치기로 분노하고 있는 국민들의 민심을 희석시키기 위해 의도적이고 계획적으로 연평도 사격훈련을 재개하려는 것으로 밖에 볼 수 없다. 서해발 전쟁공포로 온나라가 혼란한 틈을 타 국회에서 예산안 날치기를 강행하더니, 국민의 거센 비난으로 국정 전반이 위기에 몰리자 결국 또다시 안보장사로 위기를 모면하려는 것이 아닌가?

* 전문은 링크1, 또는 링크 2, 또는 링크 3 클릭
....................................................................
2. [정욱식, 2010. 12. 17] 누구를 위한, 무엇을 위한 연평도 훈련인가

발제:

여기서 주목되는 것은 미국의 태도 변화이다. 미국은 북한의 연평도 포격 이후 여러 차례에 걸쳐 남한에게 연평도 사격훈련 자제를 요청한 것으로 알려졌다. 그러나 이번에는 주한미군까지 투입해 남한을 지원하기로 했다. 1차적으로는 강력한 한미동맹과 북한의 도발 의지를 꺾겠다는 ‘불굴의 의지’를 과시하기 위한 목적으로 보인다.

[..]

연평도 피격 직후 뉴욕타임즈는 사설을 통해 북한의 공격을 강력히 규탄하면서도, “우리는 남한 대통령이 누가 그 아이디어(북한 인근 수역에서 사격훈련)를 고안했는지 물어보기를 희망한다”며 남한의 사격훈련 실시에 안타까움을 나타냈다. 대북 규탄에 동참한 러시아 정부 역시 남한의 사격훈련 실시가 북한의 과잉대응을 촉발한 원인 가운데 하나라는 입장을 밝힌 바 있다.

* 전문은 여기 클릭

....................................................................
3. [범민련 남측 본부, 2010년 12월 18일 논평] 자위권, 평시훈련, 정전협정준수는 기만

발제:

군 사적으로 민감한 연평도 인근에서 ‘평시훈련’조차 있어서도 안 될 뿐 아니라 지금의 ‘해상 사격훈련’은 미국과 이명박이 천안함사건 조작과 모략의 연장선상에서 올해 하반기 내내 북침 전쟁연습을 전개하겠다고 공언한 ‘전쟁국면’ 상태에서 벌이는 명백한 ‘전시훈련’이다. 특히 ‘해상 사격훈련이 정전협정을 준수하는 가운데 정당하게 실시된다’며 계속 정전협정과 관련한 궤변을 늘어놓고 있는 바, 정전협정은 “최후적인 평화적 해결이 달성될 때까지 조선에서의 적대행위와 일체 무장행동의 완전한 정지를 보장하는 정전”협정이다.

* 전문은 여기 클릭

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

4. [12. 17 제 단체 공동 성명서] 아프가니스탄 한국인 노동자 피랍사건 : 더 큰 무장 갈등과 재앙을 낳기 전에 철군하라

발제

지난 13일 아프가니스탄 북부 사마간주의 한 도로건설 현장에서 한국인 노동자 2명이 탈레반으로 추정되는 무장저항세력에 피랍됐다가 총격전 끝에 풀려나는 끔찍한 일이 발생했다. 당시 건설 현장을 호위하던 아프가니스탄 경찰 2명도 함께 피랍됐다가 풀려났다. 우리는 이명박 정부가 “다시는 파병하지 않겠다”던 약속을 번복하고 아프가니스탄에 재파병을 강행한다면 파병 군인들과 국민들이 공격의 표적이 될 것이라고 경고해 왔다. 이번 피랍 사건은 우려가 또다시 현실로 드러난 것으로, 더 큰 재앙을 낳기 전에 파병된 한국군은 즉각 철군해야 한다.

* 전문은 여기1 또는 여기 2 클릭

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

5. [사회 진보 연대, 2010년 12월 15일] 이주노조 위원장 탄압 중단하고 이주노동자 결사의 자유 보장하라: 세계 이주민의 날을 맞이하며

발제:

이번 12월 18일은 11번째를 맞이하는 세계 이주민의 날이다. 2000년 12월에 시작된 세계 이주민의 날은 1990년 12월 18일에 UN 총회에서 ‘모든 이주노동자와 그 가족의 권리 보호에 관한 국제협약(이하 이주노동자협약)’이 채택된 것을 기념하는 날이다. 전 세계에서 이주노동자와 그 지지자들은 이 날을 통해 이주민에 대해 차별적이고 억압적인 정책, 노동조건, 사회 관습의 변화를 요구하고 국가가 존중해야 하는 최저 기본 기준을 설정한 이주노동자협약을 비준할 것을 정부에 촉구한다.

* 전문은 여기 클릭

Text Fwd:[Campaign to End the Korean War Action Alert] ONLINE PETITION AND LETTERS TO OBAMA 한국 전쟁 종식을 위한 국제 서명 요청및 오바마에게 보내는 편지

* Text informed from Martha Duenas on Dec. 18, 2010

From APICAW - Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Against the War

dear everyone,

as many of you have no doubt heard, the obama administration--which has pursued a reckless neoconservative policy in northeast asia--has recently sent admiral mike mullen, the head of the joint chiefs of staff, to the region to thump his chest. recently, we've witnessed one massive joint military exercise after another--u.s. and japan, u.s. and south korea--which contributes greatly to regional instability. the u.s., japan, and south korea have reconsolidated their cold war alliance, and south korea recently changed its rules of engagement so that it is positioned to strike north korea not in tit-for-tat measure but with disproportionate force. the foundation is set for all-out conflict, and the stakes are nuclear.

with all this in mind, the national campaign to end the korean war has just launched an online petition and letters to obama calling for the u.s. to pursue the path of peace in korea. we are circulating the following action alert (see below).

a few urgent requests:

1. could you take a moment to sign the petition as an individual?
   
2. could circulate the below action alert to organizations that would be willing--as organizations--to endorse this petition? (see #2 below.)
   
3. could you circulate the following action alert widely to friends and allies?

christine

Action Alert – ONLINE PETITION AND LETTERS TO OBAMA

Please join the National Campaign to End the Korean War (www.endthekoreanwar.org) in an ongoing online demonstration.

We have launched a petition and letter-writing campaign to President Obama, calling for the de-escalation of recent military hostilities surrounding the Korean Peninsula. With our economy in desperate straits and our military overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan, now is the time to prioritize peace in Korea. We object to the use of American taxpayer money to stage costly and unnecessary military exercises in recurring massive war games, involving tens of thousands of US and South Korean troops. These war games intensify the risk that an accident could quickly spiral into general warfare, which could kill millions of innocent people. We invite wide participation by all who support the return to diplomacy to achieve peace in Korea.

1. Sign the petition, President Obama: Pursue the Opportunity for Peace in Korea

http://bit.ly/korean-peace1%20

2. Ask your organization to endorse the petition by sending a message to info@endthekoreanwar.org.

3. Join the letter-writing campaign by sending an electronic letter to President Obama. For details, see this site, http://bit.ly/korean-peace

4. Send a paper copy of your letter to President Obama. If you prefer, simply print out the Open Letter and add a note, card, or your own letter. No matter how brief you cover note is, it would be most effective if it is hand-written. This confirms that we are a growing movement of real, live, concerned citizens.

5. Contact your personal and professional network through email, Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, phone calls, and ask your friends, colleagues and family members to sign the petition and to send letters to President Obama.

6. Have Twitter? Use the hashtag #koreanpeace in your tweets to make this a trending topic.

7. Tweet your elected officials and other world leaders about the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula and demand an immediate halt to the U.S.-South Korean war games.

• Look for your Members of Congress on Twitter. Click here to look for their twitter accounts.

• U.S. President Barack Obama (@barackobama), the White House (@whitehouse), and the U.S. Department of State (@StateDept)

• South Korean Blue House (@BluehouseKorea) and the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (@mofatkr)

• United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (@secgen) and the United Nations (@UN)

8. Ask those in your network to consider making a donation to the National Campaign to End the Korean War so that we can take out an ad in a major newspaper to publicize our Open Letter to President Obama. http://bit.ly/korean-peace-donate

Thank you for your support,

National Campaign to End the Korean War

_______________________________________

Reference articles


Hankyoreh
N.Korea echoes threat of ‘self-defense attacks’ Tensions have again escalated as S.Korea prepares to restart artillery firing exercises off Yeonpyeong Island
Posted on : Dec.18,2010

Hankyoreh
[Bloomberg] Defending Korea Line Seen Contrary to Law by Kissinger Remains U.S. Policy By Daniel Ten Kate and Peter S. Green
Dec 17, 2010

Voice of Russia
Russia Summons U.S., South Korean Ambassadors Over War Games
December 17, 2010
(* Text informed from Rick Rozoff's Stop NATO)

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

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합참, 18~21일 연평도 해상사격 실시
"군사정전위 및 유엔사 회원국 대표들이 참관할 것"
2010년 12월 16일 (목) 15:58:08 조정훈 기자
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Korea Times
Military to resume live-fire drills in West Sea
Dec. 16, 2010
By Jung Sung-ki

South Korea plans to issue a navigation ban for the western waters off Yeonpyeong Island later this week for maritime live-fire drills, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced Thursday.

The move is expected to further ratchet up cross-border tensions after the North fired its artillery at the island Nov. 23 in response to the South’s firing drill near the border island. The artillery attack killed four South Koreans — two marines and two civilians — sparking outrage in the South.

As a result, Seoul has vowed retaliation, including air strikes, should Pyongyang attack again. The United States has also expressed support for this principle for self-defense.

“We will issue a navigation ban for the coastal area of Yeonpyeong between Dec. 18 and 21 for maritime live-fire drills,” JCS spokesman Col. Lee Bung-woo told reporters. “A detailed date for declaring the ban will be decided after taking weather conditions into account.”

The exercises will be held in the southwestern waters of the island, where South Korea’s marines had held exercises just before the North’s deadly shelling, he said.

“We’ll hold exercises at routine sites and with routine methods within our territory,” said Lee.

Members of the United Nations Command will observe the drills, he added.

The shelling of Yeonpyeong, one of the five islands in the volatile western waters, marked the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War that the North indiscriminately fired on South Korean territory and killed civilians.

The North has never recognized the West Sea border, the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which was drawn up by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.

It remains unclear whether the United States would support air strikes against the North, which could escalate the conflict on the peninsula into a full-scale war.
During peacetime, South Korean commanders are responsible for responding to North Korean provocations, but during a general war scenario, the top U.S. military officer in Seoul would assume control of South Korean troops and overall combat operations.
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Yonhap News
S. Korea to stage live-fire drill on border island shelled by N. Korea
2010/12/16

EXCERPT

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

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

[..]

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

[..]

To beef up defense on Yeonpyeong, which has a base for the marines, the JCS has deployed surface-to-air missiles, more K-9 self-propelled howitzers and 130-millimeter multiple-launch rocket systems.
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* Text informed from Rick Rozoff on Dec. 16, 2010
Top Military Commander: U.S., South Korea To Continue War Games
Stars and Stripes
December 15, 2010
By Ashley Rowland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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