China

Tensions high as ROK drills under way

By Cheng Guangjin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-28 08:07

As words flare, a test of wills continues to emerge on a strained Korean Peninsula

BEIJING - An eye-for-an-eye series of verbal attacks continued to ramp up on the Korean Peninsula amid a new round of live-fire drills held in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Monday.

In a fortnightly radio address, the ROK President Lee Myung-bak called on Monday for national unity in the face of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s attacks, saying Pyongyang would exploit divisions to strike again.

"We have now been awakened to the realization that war can be prevented and peace assured only when such provocations are met with a strong response," Lee said. "Fear of war is never helpful in preventing war."

Pyongyang's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun issued a warning on Monday regarding the ROK's recent exercises, saying they are "reckless military provocation(s)" that could lead the ROK to face self-destruction.

"There is a limit in our patience," said the Rodong Sinmun commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The ROK military continued the firing drills in 23 sites around the country beginning on Monday.

The drills will be staged in 12 sites in waters off the west coast, six sites off the south coast and five off the ROK's east coast respectively. No drills, however, are scheduled near the contentious sea border with the DPRK - also known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said this week's drills are part of the routine exercises of the military.

In Lee's radio address, he also said the ROK's military "must respond relentlessly when they come under attack".

Lee urged the ROK's people to be more united on national security since the DPRK tries to take advantage of any divisions in public opinions in the ROK.

"They always have their eyes open to take advantage of any opportunity if they detect any divisiveness in our minds and thoughts," he said.

The ROK has staged a series of military drills - including one on Yeonpyeong Island on Dec 20 - in a show of force against the DPRK in response to its Nov 23 artillery bombardment.

The DPRK accuses the ROK of provoking its shelling by holding a firing drill there.

The ROK has also threatened with air strikes if it were hit again, and ordered more troops on front-line islands while pushing for upgraded rules of engagement to allow for a more forceful response to future provocations.

On Friday, DPRK soldiers appeared on a state TV program and boasted of participating in the artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong.

Analysts have said the ROK's relentless provocations to the DPRK largely came out of domestic pressure following the government's perceived earlier weakness in the face of DPRK attacks.

Agencies contributed to this story.

China Daily