Political parties slam N. Korea's latest provocation

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's political parties condemned North Korea
Thursday for heightening tension on the peninsula by firing artillery shells
along the western sea border, yet advised the government to remain calm when
engaging with the North.

North Korea earlier in the day fired artillery shells toward the South Korean
island of Yeonpyeong from 8:15 a.m., with all the shells landing in the North's
own waters north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
The shooting comes a day after Pyongyang fired as many as 100 shells in the
waters north of the NLL, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow
Sea.
"The act of seeking a peace treaty while firing artillery is incomprehensible,"
Ahn Sang-soo, floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), said during
a meeting of party leaders.
Ahn said that he questions the North's sincerity over the talks, noting the fact
that the action was carried out while the South Korean president was traveling
overseas. President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday left for a weeklong trip to India and
Switzerland.
"We urge the North to drop the two-faced act and show some sincerity in its call
for talks," said Ahn, while also asking the Seoul government to remain unshaken
by the North's provocation and to maintain calm in its talks regarding
inter-Korean projects.
Analysts point out that the latest act of saber-rattling that comes after North
Korea threatened a "sacred" attack against the South could be aimed at pressuring
the U.S. and South Korea into embracing the North Korean demand for a peace
treaty.
The GNP's Chung Ui-hwa also warned that such actions could push the reclusive
nation into a much more isolated position.
"In such a situation, it is important for the South to double its efforts to
bring the North back to talks, such as those involving the Kaesong joint
industrial complex," Chung said.
Woo Sang-ho, spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party, said that
North Korea's repeated military provocations cannot in any way help bring peace
to the Korean Peninsula.
The spokesman also called for the government to engage Pyongyang in a calm
manner, saying that "there is nothing to gain by provoking the North."
Park Jie-won, chairman of the DP's policy committee, also said "the North should
cease its reckless acts" while also advising the government to refrain from a
provocative reaction.
(END)

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