NORTH KOREA BOMBS ISLAND AND THE U.S. SENDS AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER FOR WAR GAMES STARTING SUNDAY LASTING 4 DAYS
NOV 24 2010
South Korea Wednesday pulled the bodies of two civilians from
wreckage left by North Korea's bombardment of a border
island, fuelling calls for revenge on what one newspaper called a "mad
dog" regime.
The United States and South Korea announced a joint naval show of force
including a US aircraft carrier to deter the
North, which killed a total of four people in its first shelling attack on
civilians since the 1950-53 war.
Coastguards searching shattered buildings on Yeonpyeong island found the
bodies of the two elderly building workers a day after
two marines were confirmed dead and 18 other people injured.
Pressure rose on Beijing to rein in its wayward ally Pyongyang, which again
asserted that Seoul had provoked the clash.
South Korea, after decrying an "inhumane atrocity" against defenceless
civilians, said it was suspending promised flood aid to North Korea. It has
already called off talks on reuniting families split since the war.
The bombardment of Yeonpyeong, which lies near the disputed inter-Korean
Yellow Sea border, sent panicked civilians fleeing and fuelled anxiety about
North Korea's intentions days after a new nuclear programme came to light.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan called on China to use its "significant
influence over North Korea" to reduce tensions.
A White House statement said President Barack Obama telephoned his counterpart
Lee Myung-Bak to declare that the United States "stands shoulder to shoulder"
with South Korea, which is home to 28,500 US troops.
The four-day joint naval exercise will start
Sunday in the Yellow Sea, and
involve a strike group headed by the carrier USS George Washington, US Forces
Korea said.
It said the drill was planned well before the "unprovoked artillery attack"
but it demonstrated the US "commitment to regional stability through
deterrence".
Outraged Seoul newspapers urged the government to hit back.
"A club is the only medicine for a mad dog," Dong-A Ilbo said, calling the
shelling a "war crime" that demanded a military riposte.
South Korea said it would deploy more artillery on Yeonpyeong after officials
announced that the North had fired up to 170 shells,
of which 80 hit the island burning down 19 homes
and other buildings and setting forests and fields ablaze.
Local officials who visited the island released graphic photos of scorched and
ruined buildings, with debris littering the streets.
At least 700 people have fled Yeonpyeong, which is home to more than 1,500
civilians and a permanent military base.
The attack "targeted our land and attacked civilians", President Lee was
quoted by his spokesman as saying as he ordered military reinforcements for
five frontline islands.
"The number of victims may be small but the meaning is far bigger."
Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young pledged to revise the code of engagement to
ensure troops respond more strongly in any future clash. On Tuesday the South
fired 80 rounds back at the North's coastal artillery batteries.
China -- North Korea's main ally and economic prop -- has expressed concern
but not publicly criticised the North. Its media have given generally
sympathetic coverage to Pyongyang's version of events.
The North criticised the South for scrapping the planned talks on family
reunions. It repeated claims that Seoul provoked the artillery attack by
firing into the North's territory.
The firing came after North Korea's disclosure of an apparently operational
uranium enrichment plant -- a potential way of building a nuclear bomb.
It also comes as North Korea prepares for an eventual succession from Kim
Jong-Il to his youngest son Jong-Un.
"We judged that after revealing the new uranium
enrichment facility on November 12, North Korea
made the artillery attack to give Kim Jong-Un the status of a strong
leader," minister Kim told parliament.
China is under mounting pressure to intervene, despite its reluctance to do
anything to destabilise the regime in Pyongyang.
"We should ask China, which has significant influence over North Korea, to
make efforts to jointly restrain North Korean actions," Kan said.
Australia called the "outrageously provocative" shelling a threat to the
entire region's stability and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said: "I believe
it's important now for China to bring all of its influence to bear on North
Korea."
Tensions have been high since the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in
March, which Seoul blamed on a North Korean torpedo attack. Pyongyang rejects
the charge.
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