ID :
49723
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 04:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/49723
The shortlink copeid
N.K. cuts off inter-Korean communications as military drill begins in South
SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea severed the last remaining inter-Korean communications channel Monday in protest against an ongoing South Korea-U.S. war drill and warned any outside attempt to intercept a satellite it plans to launch would prompt a war.
The North Korean announcement forced hundreds of South Koreans to cancel their
trip to an inter-Korean industrial park in the communist state. Hundreds of
others remain at the complex.
"It is nonsensical to maintain normal communications channel at a time when the
South Korean puppets are getting frantic with the above-said war exercises,
leveling guns at fellow countrymen in league with foreign forces," a spokesman
for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by
the North's Korean Central News Agency.
"As an immediate measure we will enforce a more strict military control and cut
off the north-south military communications," the military spokesman said.
South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual Key Resolve and Foal
Eagle exercise on Monday, mobilizing more than 25,000 U.S. troops, a
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers.
The North ordered its entire military to be fully combat ready, saying the joint
military exercise is aimed at launching a "second Korean War."
No official communications channel now remains between the two Koreas. The phone
and fax line North Korea cut off earlier in the day had been the only such
official channel left open after several others were severed by Pyongyang in
protest against Seoul's hardline policy last year.
The military communications channel may serve as a hotline between military
leaders in emergency situations, but it is usually used by working-level
officials to notify each other of cross-border visits, officials said. The line
will remain severed until the joint exercise ends on March 20, the North's
military spokesman said.
South Korea demanded the North immediately withdraw the decision.
"Our government has been dealing with (North Korea's recent measures) with
patience," said Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman, Kim Ho-nyoun. "We demand
that North Korea immediately stop its denunciations (of South Korea) and
tension-raising behavior."
South Koreans are allowed to cross the border only after North Korea is notified
of their planned arrival through the military hotline.
About 700 people scheduled to visit Kaesong on Monday have canceled their trips.
It was not yet known whether 573 South Koreans currently staying at the Kaesong
industrial complex will be allowed to recross the border, including about 80
people scheduled to return on Monday, the spokesman said.
The complex in Kaesong, several kilometers north of the inter-Korean border and
near the west coast, is a major economic project built after the first
South-North summit in 2000. More than 90 South Korean firms operate in Kaesong,
producing kitchenware, watches and clothes with some 38,200 North Korean
employees.
North Korea also warned it will retaliate if anyone tries to shoot down a
satellite it plans to launch, saying interfering with the country's peaceful
space activity would mean war.
Pyongyang is believed to be assembling a rocket at a missile base on its eastern
coast, presumed by neighboring states to be preparations for a long-range missile
test.
The latest statement appeared to be an indication that North Korea may try to
launch the supposed satellite while the joint drill is under way.
The Unification Ministry spokesman said the launch seems "imminent."
North Korea also warned last week that it cannot ensure the safety of South
Korean passenger planes in its airspace. South Korean military officials suspect
the move is aimed at clearing up its airspace before its planned launch.
Analysts said North Korea's latest coercive measures are aimed at pressuring
Seoul's Lee Myung-bak government into changing its hardline policy and the new
U.S. administration into quickly starting dialogue with Pyongyang.
The new U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, is currently
visiting Seoul as part of an Asian tour that also took him to Beijing and Tokyo
to discuss North Korean issues.
"North Korea believes the U.S. has no other choice but to hold dialogue. So it's
saying, 'Let us talk before the situation gets worse," said Hong Hyun-ik, an
analyst with the independent Sejong Institute in Seoul.
"Toward South Korea, it is getting ready for a military action. For North Korea,
military clashes do not mean the loss of lives but the effects it will produce --
to strengthen internal control and further pressure South Korea into abandoning
its policy," Hong said.
Inter-Korean relations have dipped to the lowest point in decades since Lee took
office about a year ago, adopting a tougher stance on North Korea's nuclear
program and withdrawing Seoul's unconditional aid to the North.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
The North Korean announcement forced hundreds of South Koreans to cancel their
trip to an inter-Korean industrial park in the communist state. Hundreds of
others remain at the complex.
"It is nonsensical to maintain normal communications channel at a time when the
South Korean puppets are getting frantic with the above-said war exercises,
leveling guns at fellow countrymen in league with foreign forces," a spokesman
for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by
the North's Korean Central News Agency.
"As an immediate measure we will enforce a more strict military control and cut
off the north-south military communications," the military spokesman said.
South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual Key Resolve and Foal
Eagle exercise on Monday, mobilizing more than 25,000 U.S. troops, a
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers.
The North ordered its entire military to be fully combat ready, saying the joint
military exercise is aimed at launching a "second Korean War."
No official communications channel now remains between the two Koreas. The phone
and fax line North Korea cut off earlier in the day had been the only such
official channel left open after several others were severed by Pyongyang in
protest against Seoul's hardline policy last year.
The military communications channel may serve as a hotline between military
leaders in emergency situations, but it is usually used by working-level
officials to notify each other of cross-border visits, officials said. The line
will remain severed until the joint exercise ends on March 20, the North's
military spokesman said.
South Korea demanded the North immediately withdraw the decision.
"Our government has been dealing with (North Korea's recent measures) with
patience," said Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman, Kim Ho-nyoun. "We demand
that North Korea immediately stop its denunciations (of South Korea) and
tension-raising behavior."
South Koreans are allowed to cross the border only after North Korea is notified
of their planned arrival through the military hotline.
About 700 people scheduled to visit Kaesong on Monday have canceled their trips.
It was not yet known whether 573 South Koreans currently staying at the Kaesong
industrial complex will be allowed to recross the border, including about 80
people scheduled to return on Monday, the spokesman said.
The complex in Kaesong, several kilometers north of the inter-Korean border and
near the west coast, is a major economic project built after the first
South-North summit in 2000. More than 90 South Korean firms operate in Kaesong,
producing kitchenware, watches and clothes with some 38,200 North Korean
employees.
North Korea also warned it will retaliate if anyone tries to shoot down a
satellite it plans to launch, saying interfering with the country's peaceful
space activity would mean war.
Pyongyang is believed to be assembling a rocket at a missile base on its eastern
coast, presumed by neighboring states to be preparations for a long-range missile
test.
The latest statement appeared to be an indication that North Korea may try to
launch the supposed satellite while the joint drill is under way.
The Unification Ministry spokesman said the launch seems "imminent."
North Korea also warned last week that it cannot ensure the safety of South
Korean passenger planes in its airspace. South Korean military officials suspect
the move is aimed at clearing up its airspace before its planned launch.
Analysts said North Korea's latest coercive measures are aimed at pressuring
Seoul's Lee Myung-bak government into changing its hardline policy and the new
U.S. administration into quickly starting dialogue with Pyongyang.
The new U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, is currently
visiting Seoul as part of an Asian tour that also took him to Beijing and Tokyo
to discuss North Korean issues.
"North Korea believes the U.S. has no other choice but to hold dialogue. So it's
saying, 'Let us talk before the situation gets worse," said Hong Hyun-ik, an
analyst with the independent Sejong Institute in Seoul.
"Toward South Korea, it is getting ready for a military action. For North Korea,
military clashes do not mean the loss of lives but the effects it will produce --
to strengthen internal control and further pressure South Korea into abandoning
its policy," Hong said.
Inter-Korean relations have dipped to the lowest point in decades since Lee took
office about a year ago, adopting a tougher stance on North Korea's nuclear
program and withdrawing Seoul's unconditional aid to the North.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
