South Korea to conduct more live-fire drills despite tensions

[News_Editor]

South Korea to conduct more live-fire drills despite tensions

2010-12-22 16:35:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (BNO NEWS) -- South Korea on Wednesday announced that it will be conducting naval firing exercises off the east coast from Wednesday through Friday, which will include six naval ships and Lynx anti-submarine helicopters.

The drills will take place around 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the eastern sea maritime border with the North, the Yonhap news agency reported, while nearby Army units will remain alert during the exercises.

Earlier in the week, tensions rose to a critical level on the Korean Peninsula as South Korea began a live-fire artillery drill near the disputed Yeonpyeong Island, similar to a drill in November which led to a North Korean attack in which several people were killed.

On November 23, South Korea carried out a similar drill involving live-fire near the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. North Korea alleged that the shells were being fired into its territory and returned fire in response, killing four people and injuring 16 others on the island.

North Korea, through state media, had repeatedly warned South Korea to stop the planned drill, which it deems to be a serious provocation. "In case they conduct the above-said shelling at last despite the warning served by the KPA in advance, it will deal the second and third unpredictable self-defensive blow at them to protect the inviolable territorial waters of the DPRK as it had declared before the world," the statement said.

North Korea promised the attack would be deadlier than the strike on November 23. "The south Korean group of traitors and the puppet military warmongers had better cogitate about the KPA's warning," it added.

However, no further incidents took place during the drills, despite the strong threats. Nevertheless, tensions have remained high and may further increase with the new live-fire drills.

Since the Korean War in the early 1950s, which only ended in a truce and not a peace treaty, the United Nations drew a borderline on the western sea, but the North has never fully accepted the boundary.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-22

[Credo]

I think it would be better if they would practice somewhere a little further away.