Posted on 05/24/2010 12:57:28 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
South Korea said Monday it will unhesitatingly exercise its right of self-defense in the event of future armed provocation by North Korea and freeze all of its remaining exchanges with the communist neighbor, except for Kaesong industrial park.
Announcing a set of tough punitive steps against Pyongyang for its fatal attack on one of its warships in March, President Lee Myung-bak said his government will request the U.N. Security Council take up the case."From now on, the Republic of Korea will not tolerate any provocative act by the North and will maintain a principle of proactive deterrence," the president said in a nationally televised address made at the War Memorial of Korea in central Seoul. "If our territorial waters, airspace or territory are militarily violated, we will immediately exercise our right of self-defense."
The president's speech came after a team of multinational investigators last week concluded that a North Korean submarine torpedoed the 1,200-ton warship, the Cheonan, on March 26 in waters just below Koreas' western sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.yonhapnews.co.kr ...
I wouldn't bet much money on that.
President Lee seems to be a man of his word unlike Zero.
President Lee also seems to be strong and resulate leader
Special Address to the Nation by The President Lee Myung-bak
Fellow Koreans,
I am standing here today, keenly aware that the Korean Peninsula is facing a critical turning point.
My fellow citizens,
The Cheonan was sunk by a surprise North Korean torpedo attack. Again, the perpetrator was North Korea. Their attack came at a time when the people of the Republic of Korea were enjoying their well-earned rest after a hard day’s work. Once again, North Korea violently shattered our peace.
The sinking of the Cheonan constitutes a military provocation against the Republic of Korea by North Korea.
Since the end of the Korean War, the North has perpetrated incessant armed provocations against us, including the bombing attack against the presidential delegation at the Aung San Martyr’s Mausoleum in Myanmar and the bombing in midair of Korean Air Flight 858. The North Koreans, however, have never officially admitted the crimes they committed. This time is no different. They continue to insist that my Government fabricated the sinking of the Cheonan.
I am not surprised by such North Korean behavior and this was the reason why I emphasized, from the very beginning, the importance of conducting a thorough and objective scientific investigation into the incident. I also asked the nation to exercise patience and self-restraint. It was important for us not to come to any hasty conclusion until the results of the investigation came out.
Finally, on May 20th, the international joint investigation group released their conclusive findings, backed by definitive evidences. With the release of the final report, no responsible country in the international community will be able to deny the fact that the Cheonan was sunk by North Korea.
Fellow citizens,
We have always tolerated North Korea’s brutality, time and again. We did so because we have always had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean Peninsula. But now things are different. North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts. I will continue to take stern measures to hold the North accountable.
http://english.president.go.kr/pre_activity/latest/latest_view.php?uno=3216
Ping
I disagree. President Lee is determined to take some sort of action to punish the North Korean criminals.
Question is - since our business men are in China today - what will China do? Also, is N Korea weaker than before? Just wondering.
How embarrassing. Just goes to show, if you invest money in a country like North Korea you are effectively giving them the means by which to blackmail you. The investors in the Kaesong industrial park deserve to lose their investments. They are too stupid to keep them.
agreed. better to starve the beasts and pick up the pieces later.
t
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