Posted on 10/18/2009 5:58:52 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The North Korean military on Thursday accused South Korean warships of trespassing near the North’s west coast, a reminder to its neighbors that it can raise tensions even as its government reaches out for talks with the United States and South Korea.
The Defense Ministry in Seoul called the North Korean claim “preposterous.” But the North Korean military made clear its stance.
“The reckless military provocations by warships of the South Korean Navy have created such a serious situation that a naval clash may break out between the two sides in these waters,” the North’s state-run news agency said.
Its warning came three days after the North test-fired five short-range missiles off its east coast.
It also followed a rare conciliatory gesture to the South. On Wednesday, North Korea expressed regret over the deaths of six South Koreans killed when water released from a North Korean dam swept across the border last month.
The two Koreas have not agreed on a maritime border off their west coast since hostilities in the Korean War ended in 1953. They fought bloody naval skirmishes there in 1999 and 2002.
The North’s threats of a naval clash there have been so routine they generate little attention in the South. But analysts also warned that North Korea might test-fire missiles into the disputed waters. Earlier this week, South Korean news media, quoting anonymous government sources, reported that the North was preparing to launch short-range missiles off its west coast.
“It’s a typical North Korean tactic to use both dialogue and pressure, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes consecutively, to achieve its goal,” said Chon Hyun-joon, an analyst at the government-financed Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. “Kim Jong-il’s problem is that South Korea and the United States have gotten used to the game he plays.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping.
BTTT
Navel intrusion? Someone should have taught these guys a little something about the birds and the bees.
OH MAN that too funny ROFL
Its warning came three days after the North test-fired five short-range missiles off its east coast. It also followed a rare conciliatory gesture to the South. On Wednesday, North Korea expressed regret over the deaths of six South Koreans killed when water released from a North Korean dam swept across the border last month.
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