SKorea holds navy drill; NKorea scraps sea accord (OneNewsNow.com)
SKorea holds navy drill; NKorea scraps sea accord (OneNewsNow.com)
SEOUL, South Korea- Stung by a surprise underwater attack, South Korea flexed its muscles Thursday with anti-submarine drills and a U.S. general offered strong words of support as the allies sent a clear message to adversary North Korea: Don't try it again.
Pyongyang, however, wasted little time in responding, saying it would launch "immediate physical strikes" against southern ships that enter its waters as tensions spiked further a week after Seoul blamed the North for torpedoing a warship.
Inter-Korean political and economic ties have been steadily deteriorating since the February 2008 inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who vowed a tougher line on the North and its nuclear program. But the sinking of the warship Cheonan and deaths of 46 sailors in March have returned military tensions _ and the prospect of armed conflict _ to the fore.
Off the South's western coast, 10 warships, including a 3,500-ton destroyer, fired artillery and other naval guns and dropped anti-submarine bombs during a one-day exercise to boost readiness, the navy said.
It was the first such drill since the Cheonan disaster, a navy official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
South Korea also is planning two major joint military drills with the U.S. by July in a display of force intended to deter future aggression by North Korea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
KELLY OLSEN- Associated Press Writer - 5/27/2010 5:10:00 AM
Pyongyang, however, wasted little time in responding, saying it would launch "immediate physical strikes" against southern ships that enter its waters as tensions spiked further a week after Seoul blamed the North for torpedoing a warship.
Inter-Korean political and economic ties have been steadily deteriorating since the February 2008 inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who vowed a tougher line on the North and its nuclear program. But the sinking of the warship Cheonan and deaths of 46 sailors in March have returned military tensions _ and the prospect of armed conflict _ to the fore.
Off the South's western coast, 10 warships, including a 3,500-ton destroyer, fired artillery and other naval guns and dropped anti-submarine bombs during a one-day exercise to boost readiness, the navy said.
It was the first such drill since the Cheonan disaster, a navy official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
South Korea also is planning two major joint military drills with the U.S. by July in a display of force intended to deter future aggression by North Korea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Comments
Post a Comment