ID :
188720
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 10:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/188720
The shortlink copeid
Lee calls for 'esprit of fight tonight' as S. Korea launches new command
HWASEONG, South Korea, June 15 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday called for the military to arm itself with the "esprit of fight tonight" as South Korea formally launched a new command to better shield frontline islands near the Yellow Sea border from future North Korean attacks.
The South's military was criticized for a perceived weak and slow response when North Korea shelled one of the five islands last November, killing four people, including two civilians. The shelling prompted South Korea to set up the Northwest Islands Defense Command to strike back with tougher measures if another attack occurs.
"North Korea clearly brought us attention beyond our imagination, but our military did not rapidly and effectively face enemy provocations," Lee said in a speech marking the launch of the new command.
"High-tech weapons or money does not make peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," Lee told military leaders.
"Rather, only a group with the 'esprit of fight tonight' confronting the worst-case scenario with steadfast courage can ensure peace and security," Lee said.
Lee's speech was read by his Navy Chief of Staff, Adm. Kim Sung-chan, during the ceremony held at the Marine Corps headquarters in Hwaseong, some 45 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Expressing confidence in the new command and its service members, Lee urged them to "fearlessly defend" the lives of South Korean civilians, property and territorial waters near the Yellow Sea border.
In a separate speech, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said the new command "significantly strengthened" the South's defense capabilities on the five Yellow Sea islands, including Yeonpyeong.
"Since there is always a possibility that North Korea would make another attack, the military should be fully prepared," Kim said.
"We must maintain a ready-to-fight military readiness to sternly respond to any future aggression by the North," the defense minister said.
Lt. Gen. Yoo Nak-jun, commander of the Marine Corps, is assigned to have a dual role as the chief of the new division-sized command organized into the Marines' 6th Brigade and Yeonpyeong Unit, officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
Since the shelling on Yeonpyeong, the South's military has deployed more troops and high-tech weaponry, such as artillery-detecting radar, bunker-busting bombs and precision air-to-ground missiles, to the islands.
It will also complete the building of helicopter hangars on Baengnyeong Island, the largest of the five Yellow Sea islands, by September to deploy an unspecified number of attack helicopters there, officials said.
The North's shelling came just eight months after North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship and killed 46 sailors near the Yellow Sea border.
The South's military was criticized for a perceived weak and slow response when North Korea shelled one of the five islands last November, killing four people, including two civilians. The shelling prompted South Korea to set up the Northwest Islands Defense Command to strike back with tougher measures if another attack occurs.
"North Korea clearly brought us attention beyond our imagination, but our military did not rapidly and effectively face enemy provocations," Lee said in a speech marking the launch of the new command.
"High-tech weapons or money does not make peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," Lee told military leaders.
"Rather, only a group with the 'esprit of fight tonight' confronting the worst-case scenario with steadfast courage can ensure peace and security," Lee said.
Lee's speech was read by his Navy Chief of Staff, Adm. Kim Sung-chan, during the ceremony held at the Marine Corps headquarters in Hwaseong, some 45 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Expressing confidence in the new command and its service members, Lee urged them to "fearlessly defend" the lives of South Korean civilians, property and territorial waters near the Yellow Sea border.
In a separate speech, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said the new command "significantly strengthened" the South's defense capabilities on the five Yellow Sea islands, including Yeonpyeong.
"Since there is always a possibility that North Korea would make another attack, the military should be fully prepared," Kim said.
"We must maintain a ready-to-fight military readiness to sternly respond to any future aggression by the North," the defense minister said.
Lt. Gen. Yoo Nak-jun, commander of the Marine Corps, is assigned to have a dual role as the chief of the new division-sized command organized into the Marines' 6th Brigade and Yeonpyeong Unit, officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
Since the shelling on Yeonpyeong, the South's military has deployed more troops and high-tech weaponry, such as artillery-detecting radar, bunker-busting bombs and precision air-to-ground missiles, to the islands.
It will also complete the building of helicopter hangars on Baengnyeong Island, the largest of the five Yellow Sea islands, by September to deploy an unspecified number of attack helicopters there, officials said.
The North's shelling came just eight months after North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship and killed 46 sailors near the Yellow Sea border.
