(LEAD) Lee says Seoul ready to invoke self-defense against N.K. provocation(& impose sanctions)

Yonhap News ^ | 05/24/10

[TigerLikesRooster]

(LEAD) Lee says Seoul ready to invoke self-defense against N.K. provocation

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak warned Monday that South Korea will be ready to immediately exercise its right of self-defense in the event of any additional armed provocation by North Korea. which was accused of attacking one of its warships in March.

In a live public address, Lee said Seoul will ditch all inter-Korean trade and exchanges except for the joint industrial park in Kaesong as the first punitive step for the communist neighbor.

[Pining_4_TX]

Yeah, how can sanctions hurt a country that is so poor that the only asset it has left is dirt?

[Last Dakotan]

S. Korea needs to come up with an artillery defense real fast.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I know. Don't worry about it.
N. Korea is back to their ‘crisis-engineering.’
I think they would create a situation which makes Chinese regime think that Chia Head is about to rain on China's parade, Shanghai Expo. That could secure economic aids denied to him. At least not in sufficient amount.

[AmericanInTokyo]

They apparantly are going to ratchet things up by strengthening the PSI initiative (trail, if not seize DPRK ships on the high seas suspected of arms shipments).

정부, PSI 강화.대북 심리전 방송 재개(종합2보) [연합뉴스] 2010년 05월 24일(월) 오후 12:23 | 공유하기 FacebookTwitter가 가| 이메일| 프린트 군사.외교.남북관계 총망라 초강경 대응조치 北 선박 운항금지..안보리 회부 관련국 협의 남북교역 중단.방북 불허..개성공단 축소운영(서울=연합뉴스) 노효동 김귀근 이귀원 기자 = 정부는 24일 천안함 후속대응 조치의 일환으로 올 하반기 대량살상무기 확산방지구상(PSI)에 따른 역.내외 차단훈련을 실시하기로 했다. 또 북한 선박의 우리 해역에 대한 운항을 전면 금지하고 개성공단을 제외한 남북간 교역을 중단하는 한편 이번 사건을 유엔 안전보장이사회에 회부, 새로운 대북 결의안을 채택하는 방안을 추진하기로 했다. 정부는 이날 오전 정부종합청사 별관 3층 대회의실에서 유명환 외교통상, 김태영 국방, 현인택 통일장관이 참석한 가운데 천안함 관계부처장관 합동기자회견을 갖고 이 같은 내용이 담긴 후속대응 조치를 발표했다. 정부의 후속 대응조치는 군사.외교.남북관계를 망라하는 초강경 대응책으로서 북한에 상당한 타격을 입히고 국제무대에서의 고립화를 가속화시킬 것으로 예상된다.

[AmericanInTokyo]

They apparantly are going to ratchet things up by strengthening the PSI initiative (trail, if not seize DPRK ships on the high seas suspected of arms shipments).

정부, PSI 강화.대북 심리전 방송 재개(종합2보) [연합뉴스] 2010년 05월 24일(월) 오후 12:23 | 공유하기 FacebookTwitter가 가| 이메일| 프린트 군사.외교.남북관계 총망라 초강경 대응조치 北 선박 운항금지..안보리 회부 관련국 협의 남북교역 중단.방북 불허..개성공단 축소운영(서울=연합뉴스) 노효동 김귀근 이귀원 기자 = 정부는 24일 천안함 후속대응 조치의 일환으로 올 하반기 대량살상무기 확산방지구상(PSI)에 따른 역.내외 차단훈련을 실시하기로 했다. 또 북한 선박의 우리 해역에 대한 운항을 전면 금지하고 개성공단을 제외한 남북간 교역을 중단하는 한편 이번 사건을 유엔 안전보장이사회에 회부, 새로운 대북 결의안을 채택하는 방안을 추진하기로 했다. 정부는 이날 오전 정부종합청사 별관 3층 대회의실에서 유명환 외교통상, 김태영 국방, 현인택 통일장관이 참석한 가운데 천안함 관계부처장관 합동기자회견을 갖고 이 같은 내용이 담긴 후속대응 조치를 발표했다. 정부의 후속 대응조치는 군사.외교.남북관계를 망라하는 초강경 대응책으로서 북한에 상당한 타격을 입히고 국제무대에서의 고립화를 가속화시킬 것으로 예상된다.

[AmericanInTokyo]

They are good at this Crisis Creation Brinksmanship, arent they, to get the goodies they ultimately want.

"We will be REALLY bad boys and you will regret it. But wait a minute, we just might settle down and not be bad boys, if you give us what we want. So howz about it?? Thank you in advance."

[AmericanInTokyo]

My guess is that Obongo will be the first to blink, and of course this will come right before he gets a bad case of the Hershey Squirts.

They are testing his guts and mettle. Just watch it happen.

I trust Lee somewhat to go on the offensive, but not Obongo. He will back down in a New York Minute.

[AmericanInTokyo]

We all knew in 2007, TLR, that it was a RINO vs. a Socialist vs. a Conservative Patriot, three way race in the last ROK Presidential Campaign.

FREE REPUBLIC was pretty much LEE Hoi Chang (Conservative, anti communist ROK) country.

In these latest days, is President Lee proving to be a RINO, or is he apparantly really and truly stepping up to the plate, and pushing it against the Norks way beyond what quisling appeasers Kim Dae Jung, Kim Yong Sam and Roh Mu Hyun would have done? Just wonder if we are getting real action here, or just RINO posturing. Your take, good sir?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Apparently Lee is upset that Chia Head stabbed him in the back. Chia Head basically trashed Lee's ‘wonderful’ plan. It goes like:
Surprise inter-Korean summit creating another euphoria of good feeling and progress, which will boost Lee's popularity.
Then G-20 Summit comes and he would show that S. Korea is now a big boy on the international scene, thanks significantly to his efforts.
In the mean time, economy is kept steady.

All this would hopefully generate powerful momentum for him to set political agenda. Through constitutional reform(single 5year term —> possible two consecutive 4-year terms among other things,) he would change political landscape in his favor and stay as a power behind a throne of sorts after he steps down.

This whole thing is now in ruins. I think he is very upset. For now, he is hardened. Even if he wants to change his mind, long knives from the right could stop him. They are saying, “Either you are with us or against us.” It is a political suicide to prematurely back down. He is now pushed into making a tough decision which will make or break him. This situation is not what he wanted. He wanted to generate the feeling of economic prosperity bordering on complacency, in which he knows he can shine best.
This is like Dubya pushed into getting tough by Osama. Since Chia Head clearly showed that he would not play a ball with Lee, I think Lee would respond in kind.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you for keeping us posted on the real news.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping.

[mdmathis6]

There is going to be a hot shooting war by the end of the year, sure enough in that peninsula.

[jhpigott]

What’s your gut feeling on how this crisis is resolved? Are we going to see more bloodshed or does this get resolved diplomatically?

[bert]

......It seems that SK gov wants NK regime to make first move (provocation.) .....

It seems to me that the first move (provocation) was already made and the South has lost never to be recovered face.

[bert]

......My guess is that Obongo will be the first to blink.....

He sent Hilliary Clinton out to deliver a speech. Was that not blinking?

[bert]

......My guess is that Obongo will be the first to blink.....

He sent Hilliary Clinton out to deliver a speech. Was that not blinking?

[TigerLikesRooster]

I think Chia Head could turn up tension and count on China to lean on S. Korea to back down. That is the game he wants to play now, in my opinion.

However, this time around, it is not so easy for S. Korea to back down. This thing is not over. I think tension will remain until the end of this year. I expect that Chia Head would cap this with another nuclear test. This time it could be big and convincing enough.

[jhpigott]

“This time it could be big and convincing enough.”

Big and convincing enough to demonstrate a credible nuclear deterrent? Or big and convincing enough to force a S. Korean response?

[TigerLikesRooster]

I was having the former in mind. However, it would also spur S. Korea to do something about it. Not military strike but develop its own long-range missile and probably nuke down the road.

People are getting tired of BS from NK and China. Few S. Koreans would pin hope on China's cooperation from now on. Most of them gave up. I am sure some in gov and big corporations would like to apologize for China, and they do have power. However, it can't stop the grassroot sentiment once it gets rolling.

[SevenofNine]

Do you think that Chia Pet mess up on this I THINK SO China won’t be too pleased