ID :
53948
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 16:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/53948
The shortlink copeid
(2nd LD) No unusual moves by N. Korean military after rocket launch: officials
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead, UPDATES with monitoring of N.K. military activities)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is showing no unusual military activity
but South Korea remains on alert to stave off any provocation, an official here
said Sunday, as tension rises on the divided peninsula over a rocket launch by
Pyongyang.
"We have yet to spot unusual movement by the North Korean forces, but we're
closely monitoring them and preparing for any additional provocations," Army
Brigadier General Kim Jong-bae said in a briefing.
Earlier Sunday, North Korea fired a rocket to send what it claims is a satellite
into orbit despite international warnings, though South Korea and other
neighboring countries would consider it a provocative test of long-range missile
technology.
South Korea's military has sharply increased surveillance operations for the
North, while placing its 655,000 troops on a heightened alert and ordering its
top commanders back to their posts, officials said.
"The alert level has been escalated, and our defense posture has been bolstered,"
Kim said.
Relations between the Koreas fell to their lowest level since President Lee
Myung-bak took office in Seoul with a pledge to get tougher on Pyongyang.
The two sides remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a
truce, and North Korea repeatedly warned this year of an armed conflict along
their border.
South Korea's Aegis-guided Sejong the Great destroyer continues to patrol the
East Sea over which the rocket flew, Kim said, adding the warship played a role
in monitoring the launch. He did not elaborate.
The U.S. and Japan had deployed their own warships -- all with guided missiles --
to the East Sea to keep tabs on the launch that took place at 11:30 a.m.
The South Korean government pledged "stern and concrete" steps against North
Korea for the launch, saying it is a "clear violation" of U.N. Security Council
resolutions.
North Korea operates 1.2 million troops. Two deadly naval battles took place in
the western maritime border in 1999 and 2002.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is showing no unusual military activity
but South Korea remains on alert to stave off any provocation, an official here
said Sunday, as tension rises on the divided peninsula over a rocket launch by
Pyongyang.
"We have yet to spot unusual movement by the North Korean forces, but we're
closely monitoring them and preparing for any additional provocations," Army
Brigadier General Kim Jong-bae said in a briefing.
Earlier Sunday, North Korea fired a rocket to send what it claims is a satellite
into orbit despite international warnings, though South Korea and other
neighboring countries would consider it a provocative test of long-range missile
technology.
South Korea's military has sharply increased surveillance operations for the
North, while placing its 655,000 troops on a heightened alert and ordering its
top commanders back to their posts, officials said.
"The alert level has been escalated, and our defense posture has been bolstered,"
Kim said.
Relations between the Koreas fell to their lowest level since President Lee
Myung-bak took office in Seoul with a pledge to get tougher on Pyongyang.
The two sides remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a
truce, and North Korea repeatedly warned this year of an armed conflict along
their border.
South Korea's Aegis-guided Sejong the Great destroyer continues to patrol the
East Sea over which the rocket flew, Kim said, adding the warship played a role
in monitoring the launch. He did not elaborate.
The U.S. and Japan had deployed their own warships -- all with guided missiles --
to the East Sea to keep tabs on the launch that took place at 11:30 a.m.
The South Korean government pledged "stern and concrete" steps against North
Korea for the launch, saying it is a "clear violation" of U.N. Security Council
resolutions.
North Korea operates 1.2 million troops. Two deadly naval battles took place in
the western maritime border in 1999 and 2002.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
