Posted on 06/19/2010 9:10:37 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Amid growing military tensions between the North and South, Seoul mobilised troops and police early on Thursday after a resident of Ansan, 22 miles south-west of the South Korean capital, reported that 40 to 50 flying objects resembling parachutes had fallen on a mountain the previous night.
Upon inspection, the objects were identified as helium balloons released by children at a nearby school.
Tensions on the Korean peninsular have been high since the sinking of the South's warship earlier this year. Seoul has said that the ship was torpedoed by Pyongyang.
Earlier this month, an explosion Yeonpyeong Island, near the sea border with North Korea, along with the discovery of a diving suit on the island's shoreline, also sparked an alert.
A joint military and police investigation found that the diving suit was abandoned by a fisherman and the explosion was not suspicious.
State inspectors strongly criticised military chiefs for their inadequate response to the sinking of a warship near the disputed sea border on March 26, with the loss of 46 lives.
The inspectors recommended that 13 generals, 10 lower-level officers and two civilian defence ministry officials be punished. The country's top military officer Lee Sang-Eui offered his resignation.
South Korea announced reprisals against North Korea after a separate multinational investigation concluded that a submarine from the North had torpedoed the warship.
The North, which denies involvement, has threatened military action if the United Nations Security Council accepts Seoul's request to censure Pyongyang.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
If things are this tense over there... then God hep us, were just one bad bottle of tequila away from all out war in the Koreas.
Ping
The ROKA needs to be prepared. In a scenario, KPA forces during offensive operations, corps reconnaissance units would conduct penetration missions to collect military intelligence and launch raids on military and civilian targets.
Good thing those kids didn’t pop those balloons. Some might start shooting in response. Seems like a really high pucker factor there.
Wow. 99 Luftballons comes true!
I was just thinking about that. I think the ROK government needs to tightly control civilian movement.
If the NorKs and the SouKs get into again in a heavy and intense manner will China jump into the fray this time like they did back during the Korean conflict?
Probably. I give it a 60 percent chance. They are more interested in getting back Taiwan.
Were they red balloons?
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