S. Korea to strike back if N. Korea provokes armed clash: defense minister

Yonhap News ^ | 02/20/09 | Sam Kim

[TigerLikesRooster]

S. Korea to strike back if N. Korea provokes armed clash: defense minister

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea would sternly respond to any preemptive attack by North Korea on South Korean warships along the disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea by striking back at the North's military installations from which the attack originates, Seoul's defense chief said Friday.

"We will clearly respond to any preemptive artillery or missile attack by North Korea," Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said at a parliamentary hearing.

Lee made the remarks after a ruling party lawmaker asked how the South Korean military would react if North Korea attacked one of its vessels along the western sea border, which Pyongyang claims should be drawn further south.

"We will take preventive measures if a missile attack were launched by the enemy, and the (North Korean) locations where a missile originates must be attacked because of its obvious act of attack," said the minister.

[TigerLikesRooster]

This means that the targets inside N. Korean territory could be hit.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Jet Jaguar]

Lee is a good man. He means what he says.

[Carry_Okie]

I would have hoped for more discreet language: "If our ships are attacked, we will disable the remaining equipment."

[VaBthang4]

Yawn

[bruinbirdman]

All this talk of war. Yet, Mrs. Clinton offers diplomatic recognition to NK?

Hillary Clinton adopts softer line with North Korea

"Hillary Clinton set a new tone of conciliation in the foreign relations policy of the United States yesterday by promising humanitarian aid, diplomatic recognition and security guarantees for North Korea if it gives up its nuclear weapons programme."

Diplomatic relations? Haven't heard anything about that from SKorea or Japan. Isn't this what the commies have been after since the war?

yitbos

[2ndDivisionVet]

Choguk T'ongil!!

[Dallas59]

With Hussein in office and The Beast as SOS....The US is seen as weak...from both sides. Many nations that we would have defended probably feel alone and unable to rely on the US for any support. They have no choice but to go it alone.

[Dallas59]

...and are probably looking for other alliances with other nations that may help them...even ones that are enemies of the US.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Chojun Baksal!

[randomhero97]

Can you blame them, though? I just hope our allies don't feel like the real American People is abandoning them.

I have a feeling the world is going to hate the US even more during the next four years.

[Joe Boucher]

You are correct.
If I were any of our allies I’d be suspect in the U.S. support for any reason.
This assclown obambi is a joke and our enemies know it.

[gogogodzilla]

As much as I detest Hitlery, this is looking like the classic ‘Good cop, Bad cop’ scenario.