Seoul Condemns P'yang's Military Provocation
2003-03-08
The Defense Ministry on Friday (March 7) condemned the North Korean military for ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military actions since last month and urged it to act in a more “prudent and responsible manner.”
“The North Korean military has been creating tension on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military activities since a North Korean fighter aircraft violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL) on Feb. 20, 2003,” ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hwang Young-soo said.
“In particular, the threatening flight around a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft, which was conducting a routine mission in international air on March 2, caused a dangerous situation where a military clash could have occurred,” he added.
Such tension building maneuvers, the spokesman warned, “not only undermine the South Korean government's and international community's efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, but may also have serious consequences on the security of the Korean Peninsula.”
The Defense Ministry's statement was the first warning to the North Korean military since President Roh Moo-hyun took office on Feb. 25.
The ministry also issued a stern warning to the North on Feb. 20 after the North Korean aircraft violated the NLL.
Pyongyang's escalation of military tensions continued with the test-fire of a ground-to-ship missile into the East Sea on Feb. 24, the eve of Roh's inauguration.
Hwang said the government formulated the statement at a meeting of security-related ministers held at Cheong Wa Dae Thursday “to preventive similar mishaps in the future.”
Source : www.korea.net
