U.S. Admiral Mullen says Adding China is in Less Dangerous place for North Korea ________________________________________________________________
According to the Global Security News dated, December 1st, 2010, By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service:: Admiral Mullen Calls for Stronger U.S.- China Military Ties
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – Upcoming meetings agreed to by the military leaders of the United States and China have renewed the prospect of strengthened military-to-military engagement, the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff said today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke at the Center for American Progress in Washington on continuing challenges for cooperation between the nations and opportunities that may arise from adversity.
“Now that both countries have agreed to resume routine contacts as part of this important [aspect] of our relationship, the hard work really begins,” Mullen said. “The United States stands ready to do our part.”
The Chinese military suspended its military-to-military relationship with the United States earlier this year over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Then in October, when the U.S. and China sent representatives to Hanoi, Vietnam, for an inaugural meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie formally invited Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to visit Beijing. Gates plans to make the trip early next year.
Next week, Mullen said, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy will host her Chinese counterpart during defense talks and a main point of discussion will be U.S.-China military ties. And Mullen has invited his counterpart -- Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of the Chinese army’s general staff -- to visit the Pentagon, he said.
In November 2009, President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao made a commitment to advance sustained military-to-military relations, Mullen said.
“While we have not met that objective -- and indeed have continued to encounter turbulence in the military-to-military relationship -- it appears that we are on an upward trajectory,” the admiral added.
Working from a posture of mutual respect, thinking locally and globally about mutual security issues, and looking toward a shared future would make the resumption of military exchanges between the United States and China “most fruitful,” the chairman said.
“Many of our security issues have a common dimension, centered in places where China can exert a great deal of constructive influence and where our interests are aligned,” Mullen said.
This includes stability on the Korean peninsula, the safety of shipping lanes in Southeast Asia and assured access and equitable use of the global commons, he said.
The U.S.-China exchange should range farther and wider than the Asia-Pacific region, Mullen said, noting that China’s reach increasingly extends to extra-regional and global defense concerns, including Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and security in south and central Asia.
Both nations “recognize the emerging challenges of nuclear proliferation, terrorism, growing global energy demands,” he said, “and the geopolitical implications and stresses of climate change.”
China’s constructive role is essential “as we address the most recent of a long string of reckless acts by North Korea,” Mullen said.
With North Korea’s Nov. 20 revelation of a sophisticated uranium enrichment plant and its unprovoked Nov. 23 attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people, “the ante is going up and the stakes are going up,” he said.
“The United States and China may view the situation differently, but we certainly share an interest in stability along the Korean peninsula,” the admiral said, adding that China is uniquely positioned “to guide North Korea to a less dangerous place.”
“The real question is will China answer that call?” Mullen said. “I am hopeful the answer will be yes.”
Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, December 2nd, 2010.
----------------------------------------------
S. Korea Names New Defense Minister After Island Attack
Left: The Former Korean Defense Minister (42nd), General Kim Tae-young (Resigned after North Korea attacked The Cheonan in March 26th, 2010 and North Korea attacked The Yeonpyeong Island in November, 23rd, 2010)
Right: New South Korean Defense Minister (43rd). Appointed by ROK President Lee Myung Pak on Nov. 26th, 2010
General Kim Kwan-jin: New South Korean Defense Minister. Appointed by ROK President Lee Myung Pak on Nov. 26th, 2010
S. Korea Names New Defense Minister After Island Attack
________________________________________________________________
General Kim Kwan-jin New South Korean Defense Minister Appointed by ROK President Lee Myung Pak Nov. 26th, 2010
According to the Defense news dated November 26, 2010, Reporter, Jung Sung Ki.
SEOUL - President Lee Myung-bak named Kim Kwan-jin, a former chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Nov. 26 as new South Korean defense minister to replace
Kim Tae-young.
Kim was dismissed a day earlier in the wake of North Korea's deadly shelling of an island of the South in the western waters off the Korean peninsula, killing four, including two marines.
Kim, who had offered his resignation in May after a deadly torpedo attack by the North sank a warship, was under heavy fire for the South's ineffective response to the artillery attack on South Korean soil, the first of its kind since the 1950-53 Korean War.
"President Lee decided to accept Minister Kim's resignation today," Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee said in a press briefing at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee had deferred Kim's resignation in order to let the defense chief deal with follow-up measures to the sinking of the warship, Cheonan, including the Security Consultative Meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in October, Yim said.
"But Lee finally decided to accept Kim's resignation as part of efforts to revamp the military in the aftermath of a series of military accidents."
On Nov. 23, the North's coastal artillery units in Gaemeori, and Mudo islet, under the command of the Fourth Corps of Korea People's Army, fired about 170 shells in two separate occasions from 76.2mm guns and 122mm multiple rocket launchers at resident areas as well as the base of a South Korean marine unit on Yeonpyeong Island, just south of the tense sea border.
The North is believed to have employed about 18 122mm multiple rocket launchers moved from the inland, according to Maj. Gen. Shin Hyun-don at the operations bureau at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Of the 170 shells fired, some 80 rounds hit the island while 90 others landed offshore, Shin said.
The South was only able to return fire 13 minutes after the bombardment, launching 80 155mm shells from four of the six K9 self-propelled guns deployed on the island.
Two howitzers suffered software glitches in the aftermath of the attack, so they couldn't participate in initial counterattacks. One of them was repaired later to fire back.
Another howitzer failed to return fire as its gun barrel was stuck with a dud during a training exercise before the attack, he admitted.
To make matters worse, the unit's only AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar didn't work properly, said Shin.
The defense minister was also under criticism for his hesitation to conduct air strikes on North Korean artillery strongholds when the North launched a second attack.
"North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong was a clear act of war," Rep. Kim Jang-soo of the ruling Grand National Party. "F-15Ks should have conducted precision-guided strikes against caves with coastal artillery in the North after the North launched another attack."
A fleet of F-15K and KF-16 aircraft was scrambled after the attacks to patrol over the island. The F-15K carries high-tech precision-guided weapons, such as SLAM-ER, JDAM and GBU-24 precision bombs.
"Current rules of engagement call for responding to any provocation with firepower more than twice as strong as the level of enemy attack," Kim said. "We'll consider further strengthening the engagement rules enough to allow air strikes."
Military investigators said Nov. 25 that North Korea used a new type of artillery shell capable of penetrating concrete walls and causing fires.
A team of investigators has recovered some 20 duds that landed on the island for analysis.
The special shell, similar to a thermobaric weapon, also known as a fuel-air bomb, is believed to have been deployed in the North since 1985, they said.
"After initial analysis of shells fired from the North, we've concluded that they are of a type that can penetrate concrete walls and maximize fires," an investigator said.
The weapon has lethal capabilities as it creates superheat and high pressure when it explodes, he added.
A day earlier, Rep. Song Young-sun of the Future Hope Alliance, a minor opposition party, claimed at a parliamentary session that the North used thermobaric shells in its attacks on Yeonpyeong Island.
Song said she reached the conclusion after analyzing the scenes of explosions shown on TV footage with researchers at the state-funded Agency for Defense Development.
"TV footage clearly showed most of the shells caused two explosions, which is one of the characteristics of thermobaric weapons," said Song, a former defense analyst at the state-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.
"The former Soviet Union successfully used the thermobaric weapon in Afghanistan, and the U.S. military have also deployed the enhanced blast weapon in Iraq as well as Afghanistan," she said. "I guess the North tested the bomb for the first time in attacking Yeonpyeong."
The Former Korean Defense Minister (42nd), General Kim Tae-young (Resigned after North Korea attacked The Cheonan in March 26th, 2010 and North Korea attacked The Yeonpyeong Island in November, 23rd, 2010).
The former ROK Defense Minister (42nd) Kim Tae-young had tended
his resignation in May after criticism over the sinking of a South Korean naval
vessel, the Cheonan, in March, also blamed on North Korea.
The Forty-six South Korean sailors were killed by the North Korea attack - Cheonan back in March March 26, 2010 which was the South Korean Military Disaster.
According to media report, President, Lee Myong Bak only accepted the resignation
on Thursday, November 25th, 2010 to improve the atmosphere in the military and to handle the series
of incidents.
New South Korean Defense Minister (43rd). Appointed by ROK President Lee Myung Pak on Nov. 26th, 2010 A South Korean marine base burned Tuesday on
Yeonpyeong Island after North Korean artillery shells hit it.
He was previously the 33rd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
General Kim graduated the Republic of Korea Military Academy in 1971. He previously served as Commanding General, 35th Infantry Division (1999-2000), Commanding General, II Corps (2002-2004), and Chief Director, Joint Operations Headquarters, Joint Chiefs of Staff (2004-2005). He was promoted to 4-star general and assumed command of Third ROK Army in 2005.
In 2006, he became the 33rd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and replaced General Lee Sang-hee.
On March 28 2008, he was replaced by General Kim Tae-young. Following incidents of the shelling of Yeonpyeong, he was selected to replace Kim Tae-young as a new National Defense Minister of the Republic of Korea on 26 November, 2010.
The shelling caused several casualties among South Koreans living on Yeongpyeong. Six other military personnel were seriously wounded, and ten were treated for minor injuries. Two South Korean marines, Sergeant Jeong-wu Seo and Private Gwang-wuk Moon, were killed including the two construction workers, Kim Chi-baek, 61, and Bae Bok-chul, 60, were also killed.
Additionally, the attack started widespread fires on the island. According to the local county office, 70 percent of the island's forests and fields were burned and 21 houses and warehouses and eight public buildings were destroyed in the bombardment. Most of the islanders were evacuated in the aftermath of the shelling. Around 1,500 of the 1,780 people resident on the island were taken aboard fishing boats and government vessels, with many of them being taken to Incheon on the mainland. Moving from the Yeongpyeong Island to Incheon reminds history of the Korean War (1950 -armistice, 1953) which The war began on 25 June 1950 and an armistice was signed on 27 July 1953. The war was a
result of the political division of Korea by agreement of the
victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War. The Korean
peninsula had been ruled by Japan from 1910 until the
end of World War II. In
1945, following the surrender of Japan, American administrators
divided the peninsula along the 38th Parallel, with United States
troops occupying the southern part and Soviet troops occupying
the northern part.
When the evacuation needed from the YeongPyeong attack from the North Korea on November 23rd, 2010, the Incheon city authorities sent 22 fire engines and ambulances to the island, along with firefighters and paramedics, to help with the recovery and relief effort. 2,000 boxes of emergency relief materials and more than 3,500 relief kits and boxes of food were sent to help residents recover.
North Korean casualties were unknown, but Lee Hong-gi, the Director of
Operations of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), claimed that as a
result of the South Korean retaliation "there may be a considerable number of
North Korean casualties". The shelling can be viewed “as part of a campaign of provocation to force
South Korea and the U.S. back to the negotiating table,” said Paul Stares,
director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations, a
Washington policy group which the headlines are filled with transnational challenges, from terrorism to
climate change to weapons of mass destruction.
According to the Sandiago News letter dated November 26th, 2010: "Brink of War": Local Korean's React to Instability of North and South: And war may be coming. Taken from the latest statement from
the North Korean government. It reads quote, "the situation on the Korean
peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war." Noah Kim grew up in
South Korea.
Kim says, "you would have air sirens every now and then you...
With all of these, China has the important roll to connect North Korea's behavior Control, meanwhile, according to the Bloomberg news report on November 23th, 2010, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong
Lei told reporters in Beijing that “We hope the parties do more to
contribute to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.” Reports on North
Korea’s new uranium-enrichment plant underscore the need for disarmament talks,
Hong said.
“What is important is to restart six-party nuclear talks at an early date,”
he said.
The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security
concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear
weapons program which you can see the following information:
North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK) has declared that it has nuclear weapons. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons. North Korea was a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but withdrew in 2003, citing the failure of the United States to fulfill its end of the Agreed Framework, a 1994 agreement between the states to limit North Korea's nuclear ambitions, begin normalization of relations, and help North Korea supply some energy needs through nuclear reactors.
On October 9, 2006, the North Korean government issued an announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test for the first time. Both the United States Geological Survey and Japanese seismological authorities detected an earthquake with a preliminary estimated magnitude of 4.2 in North Korea, corroborating some aspects of the North Korean claims.
In April 2009, reports surfaced that North Korea has become a "fully fledged nuclear power", an opinion shared by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted another nuclear test, which is believed to have been the cause of a magnitude 4.7 seismic event. Although there is no official information about the test's location, it is believed that it happened in the north-eastern region near Kilju, the site of North Korea's first nuclear test. Also North Korea conducted a second test of a nuclear weapon
at the same location as the original test (not confirmed). The test weapon was
of the same magnitude as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in the 2nd World War,
(confirmed S. Korea and Russia). At the same time of the test N. Korea tested 2
short range missiles (reported a S. Korean News Network YTN – not officially
confirmed).
The test was nearly universally condemned by the international community. Following the test, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1874 condemning the test and tightening sanctions on the country.
It is widely believed that the test was conducted as a result of a succession crisis in the country. After Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke in the summer of 2008, arrangements were made for his third son, Kim Jong-un, to take power upon his death.
Yonhap news agency reported on 2 June 2009 that North Korea was readying as
many as three medium-range missiles (according to some analysts, Rodong missiles) at a missile base in Anbyon region, Gangwon
Province, northeast of the capital of Pyongyang. In addition, a South Korean
defence ministry spokesman said that signs that North Korea was preparing to
fire an intercontinental
ballistic missile (ICBM) had been detected. verifying US defense officials' reports and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's
statement made on 1 June. North Korea apparently has moved the ICBM to a new
base in Dongchang-ri along its
west coast and a launch could take place in one or two weeks, according to
Yonhap.
It is believed the North Koreans conducted the nuclear test to show that, even in a time of possible weakness, it did not intend to give up its nuclear weapons program.
There have been many meetings with six participating
states: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); the Republic of Korea (South Korea); the People's Republic of China; the United States of America; the Russian Federation; and Japan.
2nd
phase (27 Sep – 30 Sep 2007),with six party talks, they have accomplished which The DPRK agreed to provide a complete and correct declaration of all its nuclear programs in accordance with the February 13 agreement by 31 December 2007.
DPRK agreed to disable all nuclear facilities subject to September 2005 Joint Statement and February 13 Agreement, including the disablement of three facilities at Yongbyan by 31 December 2007: the 5 MW Experimental Reactor, the Reprocessing Plant, and the Nuclear Fuel Rod Fabrication Facility. Yet, Forty-six people on board the Cheonan
ship were killed when it was sunk in March 26th, 2010. Seoul released the findings of an
international report in May that concluded that the vessel was hit by a torpedo
launched by its neighbour, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK).
Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed officials, claimed that with the new ROK government led by President Lee Myung-bak since the end of 2007, the six-party talks' top negotiators will be replaced. AM Kim Sook is to replace Chun Yung-woo as the top negotiator, and Hwang Joon-kook is to replace Lim Sung-nam as the deputy. Meanwhile, The United States has notified earlier to China, Japan and other nations in the region of the exercise in international waters. The USS George Washington last exercised in the area in October 2009. The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join South Korean naval forces in the Yellow Sea west of the peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise in the series announced at the 2-plus-2 meetings in July.
This exercise is defensive in nature, said United Nations Command officials in Seoul. “The intent of the series of exercises is to enhance our interoperability with the Republic of Korea, but also as a deterrent to North Korea,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan said on November 24th, 2010 during a press availability.
See the Last photos from USS George Washington in Pusan back in July, 2010:
The USS George Washington with an embarked carrier air wing, the cruiser USS Cowpens, and the destroyers USS Lassen, USS Stethem and the USS Fitzgerald will participate in the exercise along with South Korean ships.
Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, November 26th, 2010.
--------------------------------
North Korea Attack South Korea Again
THE
WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23rd, 2010
Statement by the Press Secretary on North Korean Shelling of South Korean island
Earlier today North Korea conducted an artillery attack against the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. We are in close and continuing contact with our Korean allies.
The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action and to fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement.
The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability.
Source:
The White House.
Gates Condemns Attack on South Korea
________________________________________________________________
News
by American Forces Press Service
By Karen Parrish: American Forces Press Service
November 23rd, 2010
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today condemned
the attack by North Korea on the small South Korean island of Yeonpyeong,
according to Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.
"In a phone call this morning, Secretary Gates told [South Korean Defense]
Minister Kim [Tae-young] the United States strongly condemns the artillery
attack by North Korea, views it as a violation of the armistice agreement and
assured him that we are committed to South Korea's defense,” Morrell said in an
issued readout of Gates’ call with Kim.
“He expressed sympathy for the loss of life and appreciation for the
restraint shown to date by the South Korean government. The Secretary and the
Minister agreed their departments should consult closely and coordinate on any
response to this act of aggression by the North,” Morrell said.
The White House this morning issued a statement condemning the attack and
calling on North Korea to halt its “belligerent” action and to fully abide by
the terms of the Armistice Agreement. Officials from both the White House and
DOD affirmed the U.S. alliance with South Korea and are closely monitoring the
situation on the Korean peninsula in the wake of today’s attack that is reported
to have killed two and injured at least 15.
“We will honor our alliance obligations to the South, and … we are determined
to promote peace and security on the peninsula,” Morrell said earlier today in
an interview on MSNBC.
“We take this very seriously, just as we took the sinking of the Cheonan
earlier this year very seriously, [in which] the North murdered some 40 South
Korean sailors,” he said.
Morrell said Gates responded to a reporter’s question yesterday about North
Korea by saying, “To any question beginning with ‘Why?’ with regards to North
Korea, my answer is the same: I don’t know.”
North Korea’s government is extremely unpredictable, and “they do things you
could not possibly have predicted in a rational world,” Morrell said.
Morrell said U.S. sanctions in place against North Korea have been
strengthened since the March sinking of the Cheonan.
“It’s hard to pile more sanctions upon the North than are already there,” he
said, “and yet it seems they are not foolproof. But we’ve always known they
aren’t foolproof.”
North Korea’s government “is determined to bypass the sanctions [and] to not
abide by its international obligations,” the press secretary said.
North Korea’s irresponsible behavior also is “demonstrated by the fact that
it’s trying to be a proliferator of weapons, that it’s dealing with countries
that are also under sanctions … unfortunately, this is not out of keeping with
their belligerent and unpredictable behavior,” Morrell said.
The Defense Department views North Korea’s actions “with concern,” Pentagon
spokesman Col. David Lapan told reporters today.
The North Koreans “certainly increase tensions on the peninsula,” Lapan said,
“and so any type of military incidents between North and the Republic of Korea
are viewed with concern, because of contributing to instability in the region,
and especially on the Korean peninsula.”
Meanwhile, he said, the U.S. government is monitoring the situation and
conferring with allies.
"At this point it’s premature to say that we’re considering any [military]
action," Lapan said.
Source:
DOD.
North, South Korean forces trade fire; 2 South Korean marines dead: Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- In a sharp escalation of hostility along
their disputed sea border, North Korean and South Korean forces traded fire
Tuesday, a deadly skirmish that jacked up diplomatic tensions in a volatile
region.
Two South Korean marines were killed and 15 South Korean soldiers and
civilians were wounded when the North fired about 100 rounds of artillery at
Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, South Korea authorities said, according to
the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
South Korea's military responded with more than 80 rounds of artillery and
deployed fighter jets to counter the fire, defense officials said.
Firing between the two sides lasted for about an hour in the Yellow Sea, a
longstanding flashpoint between the two Koreas. In March, a South Korean
warship, the Cheonan, was sunk in the area with the loss of 46 lives in a
suspected North Korean torpedo attack.
"Restraint should be exercised on both sides," said Stephen Bosworth, the
U.S. special envoy on North Korean denuclearization. He was in Beijing to
discuss nuclear matters and spoke to reporters.
This latest action occurred during South Korean maritime military drills.
In Seoul, the South Korea government swiftly denounced the action as an
"indisputable armed provocation against the Republic of Korea. Making matters
worse, it even indiscriminately fired against civilians. Such actions will never
be tolerated."
In its statement, the South Korean government said it "immediately and
strongly responded to the provocation in accordance with the rules of
engagement" and will retaliate against any additional acts of provocation in a
resolute manner."
After the incident, Yonhap news agency in South Kore said the Seoul
government "banned its nationals from entering the communist state, indefinitely
postponed their scheduled Red Cross talks and began looking at ways to push the
United Nations to condemn Pyongyang."
North Korea, meanwhile, said the incident stemmed from South Korean military
drills, codenamed Hoguk, exercises that Pyongyang calls "war maneuvers for a war
of aggression."
The "South Korean puppet group" engaged in "reckless military provocation" by
firing "dozens of shells" inside its territorial waters "despite the repeated
warnings of the DPRK" or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's
military said in a statement.
"The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK standing guard over the
inviolable territorial waters of the country took such decisive military step as
reacting to the military provocation of the puppet group with a prompt powerful
physical strike," the statement said.
"It is a traditional mode of counter-action of the army of the DPRK to
counter the firing of the provocateurs with merciless strikes," said the
statement, which warned that it "will unhesitatingly continue taking merciless
military counter-actions against it" if the border is crossed.
This incident comes after a U.S. scientist reported that North Korea has a
new uranium enrichment facility. North Korean officials said the facility is
operating and producing low-enriched uranium, according to Stanford University
professor Siegfried S. Hecker.
The enrichment facility contains 2,000 centrifuges and appears to be designed
for nuclear power production, "not to boost North Korea's military capability,"
Hecker says.
But U.S. and South Korean diplomats said the latest relevation confirms the
country's long-term deceit.
Sanctions have been progressively placed on North Korea in response to a
succession of nuclear and missile tests and the sinking of the South Korean
warship in March.
The United States said it would not dismiss restarting six-party talks aimed
at denuclearizing the North. However, it said it would not return to
negotiations unless North Korea showed good faith.
Countries that had been negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program
issued swift reaction.
The United States "strongly" condemned North Korea's action, and a U.S.
Defense Department official told CNN that the "hope is that this is just one
isolated incident, not an escalation into a different military posture" by the
North.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had "taken note of
relevant reports" and expressed its "concern." "Relevant facts need to be
verified and we hope both parties make more contributions to the stability of
the peninsula," he said.
Russia's Interfax news agency said Russia condemned North Korea's artillery
shelling and said "those who initiated the attack on a South Korean island in
the northern part of the inter-Korean maritime border line assumed enormous
responsibility."
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's cabinet held a ministerial meeting and
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku announced a government statement
condemning North Korea and calling the act "unpardonable."
"This provocation by North Korea compromises the peace and security of not
only South Korea, but also the entire region of North East Asia, including
Japan. Japan demands North Korea to stop such action immediately," the statement
said.
Asked whether the violence in the Yellow Sea would make resumption of
six-party talks more difficult, Bosworth said, it's never been easy to reconvene
the talks.
Yeonpyeong island is part of a small archipelago about 80 kilometers [49
miles] west of the South Korean port of Inchon, which serves Seoul, and is close
to the tense Northern Limit Line, the maritime border between the two Koreas in
the Yellow Sea.
North Korean artillery is extremely difficult to hit, because it is dug into
coastal cliffs. Though the North has tested its artillery -- and tested
anti-shipping missiles -- it has not fired artillery into South Korean territory
in recent years. One of North Korea's most potent threats is artillery dug in
along its demilitarized zone with South Korea and ranged on Seoul.
While the reason for the attack was in dispute, one North Korea watcher said
the incident stems from the nuclear issue..
Choi Jin-wook, senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National
Unification, said Pyongyang is "frustrated with Washington's response to their
uranium program and they think that Washington has almost given up on
negotiations with North Korea."
"I think they realize they can't expect anything from Washington or Seoul for
several months, so I think they made the provocation."
"I definitely think this is centrally directed from Pyongyang. This can't be
done without orders from Pyongyang," he added.
Meanwhile, with national leader Kim Jong Il apparently in
ailing health, his son Kim Jong Un is being raised to prominence in the isolated
state, in what pundits see as a succession process.
According to the wikipedia statement, the shelling of Yeonpyeong was an international incident that occurred on the Korean Peninsula in November 2010. It began at 14:34 KST (05:34 UTC) on 23 November, when North Korean artillery began shelling the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, though the official North Korean news agency KCNA stated that North Korea only fired after the South had "recklessly fired into our sea area."
INCHEON, South Korea — North and
South Korea exchanged artillery fire Tuesday after the North shelled an island
near their disputed sea border, killing at least two South Korean marines,
setting dozens of buildings ablaze and sending civilians fleeing for shelter.
The clash, which put South Korea's
military on high alert, was one of the rivals' most dramatic confrontations
since the Korean War ended, and one of the few to put civilians at risk, though
no nonmilitary deaths were immediately reported. Sixteen South Korean soldiers
and three civilians were injured and the extent of casualties on the northern
side was unknown.
The skirmish began when Pyongyang
warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean
officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters,
albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the
small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations
and a small civilian population.
"I thought I would die," said Lee
Chun-ok, 54, an islander who said she was watching TV in her home when the
shelling began. Suddenly, a wall and door collapsed.
The report shows that North Korea fired more than 100 shells and South Korea fired 80 which the 100 shells of fires killed two South Korean marines and 15 South Korean soldiers and civilians wounded at Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on November 23rd, 2010 although sky news shows that the North Korean military has fired over 200 rounds of artillery shells at South Korea's Yeongpyeong Island and reported at least 14 soldiers insjured which attack occurred just after 2:30 PM local time (5:30 AM UTC).
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, center, arrives with Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, second right, at the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the military was put on top alert after North Korea’s artillery attack on South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak receives a
briefing at the control center of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff at the
Defence Ministry November 23, 2010 in Seoul, South Korea
Firefighters extinguishing a fire after the damage
caused by the artillery shells fired by North Korea in Yeonpyeong Island, South
Korea
Firefighters and fire trucks board a
ship to go to Yeonpyeong island near the border with North Korea on November
23, 2010 in Incheon, South Korea.
A South Korean navy ship sails into
Incheon's port in preparation for delivery of relief supplies to
Yeonpyeong island and the evacuation of residents.
Coast guard officers and police
patrol a port on in Incheon, South Korea, as navy and police ships
are loaded with relief supplies bound for villagers of Yeonpyeong Island.
Survivors of the artillery shelling from
Yeonpyeong Island arrive at Incheon port, South Korea .
South Korean coast guards carry relief
goods onto a police ship which will depart to Yeonpyeong island from a port on
November 24, 2010 in Incheon, South Korea.
At 20:35 to 21:10, Republic of Korea President Lee
Myung-bak met Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense, Kim Tae-young, at
the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the military was put on top alert after North
Korea's artillery attack: rounds of artillery in retaliation, while President Lee Myung-Bak meets with
the nation's cabinet in a secure bunker to discuss the situation and their
response to it. Fighter jets were scrambled to the scene while S. Korea was put
on its highest military alert meanwhile, U.S President, Obama stated that"We are in close and continuing contact with our Korean allies.
The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action and to fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement.
The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability."
Also Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates condemned
the attack by North Korea on the small South Korean island of Yeonpyeong,
according to Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell. "In a phone call this morning, Secretary Gates told [South Korean Defense] Minister Kim [Tae-young] the United States strongly condemns the artillery attack by North Korea, views it as a violation of the armistice agreement and assured him that we are committed to South Korea's defense,"
The shelling caused several casualties among the South Koreans on Yeongpyeong. Two South Korean marines, Sergeant Jeong-wu Seo and Private Gwang-wuk Moon, were killed, six were seriously wounded, and ten were treated for minor injuries. At least three civilians were also wounded. ;Additionally, the attack started fires on the island.
The North Korean attack had a global impact on the financial markets. Several Asian currencies weakened against the euro and U.S. dollar while at the same time Asian stock markets declined. The effects the shelling had in the financial industry led the South Korea's central bank, the Bank of Korea, to hold an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the fighting on the markets.
President Lee instructed the military to strike North Korea's missile base near the coastline artillery position if there was an indication of further provocation.
Hong-gi Lee, the Director of Operations of ROK JCS, announced in a press conference "There may be a considerable number of North Korean casualties".
According to the CNBC news, ROK Defense Minister Kim Tae-young had tended
his resignation in May after criticism over the sinking of a South Korean naval
vessel, the Cheonan, in March, also blamed on North Korea.
The Forty-six South Korean sailors were killed by the North Korea attack - Cheonan back in March March 26, 2010 which was the South Korean Military Disaster.
President, Lee Myong Bak only accepted the resignation
on Thursday "to improve the atmosphere in the military and to handle the series
of incidents", a presidential official said.
Retired General Kim graduated from the Republic of Korea Military Academy in 1972. He
previously served as Commanding General, 6th Artillery Brigade (1997-1998),
Commanding General, 35th Infantry Division (1999-2000), Commanding General,
Capital Defense Command (2004-2005), and Chief Director, Joint Operations
Headquarters, Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2006). and he was the 34th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and Current 42nd Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense who was succeed by the 41st former Minister Lee Sang Hee In September 2009.
Prior to assuming the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in
2008, he was Commanding General of the First ROK Army.
The North Korean actions were believed by some experts to have been at least partially due to the succession of power taking place in the North Korean government, with Kim Jong Un assuming control of the country from Kim Jong Il, and the role of the North Korean military in foreign policy. According to analysts in South Korea, the military had greater power than in previous years, which allowed military leaders to have a greater role in influencing the country's leadership.
Condolances and prayers to those who lost loved ones and casualties by the attack from North Korea to Yeongpyeong: Two South Korean marines, Sergeant Jeong-wu Seo and Private Gwang-wuk Moon, were killed, six were seriously wounded, and ten were treated for minor injuries. At least three civilians were also wounded. ;Additionally, the attack started fires on the island and caused to destroying dozens of houses and villege. News report shows that North Korea continues to denied responsibility for that attack. In the meantime, the nuclear-powered USS George Washington left a naval base
south of Tokyo on Wednesday to join exercises with South Korea. Dod news letter dated November 24th, 2010, stated that President Barack Obama told South Korean President Lee Myung-bak that the United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with South Korea.
President Obama strongly condemned the North Korean attack on the island of Yeonpyeoung. He said North Korea must stop its provocative actions, which will only lead to further isolation, and fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement and its obligations under international law.
The two presidents agreed to hold combined military exercises and enhanced training in the days ahead to continue the close security cooperation between our two countries, and to underscore the strength of the alliance and the commitment to peace and security in the region.
The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join South Korean naval forces in the Yellow Sea west of the peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise in the series announced at the 2-plus-2 meetings in July.
This exercise is defensive in nature, said United Nations Command officials in Seoul. “The intent of the series of exercises is to enhance our interoperability with the Republic of Korea, but also as a deterrent to North Korea,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan said on November 24th, 2010 during a press availability.
The USS George Washington with an embarked carrier air wing, the cruiser USS Cowpens, and the destroyers USS Lassen, USS Stethem and the USS Fitzgerald will participate in the exercise along with South Korean ships.
The United States has notified China, Japan and other nations in the region of the exercise in international waters. The USS George Washington last exercised in the area in October 2009.
USS George Washington
USS George Washington:
091117-N-6720T-345
PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 17, 2009) – U.S. and Japanese ships steam in formation
during a photo exercise with USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington,
the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier participated in a
photo exercise which was the culmination of ANNUALEX 21G, the largest annual
bilateral exercise with the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense
Force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Adam K.
Thomas/RELEASED)
Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, November 23rd, 2010. Rev. Nov. 25th, 2010 5:35 AM
Resources:
White House
DOD CNN
CNBC Wikipedia
Yahoo News
Youtube
N.Korea
warns of attack against S.Korea's military exercise - NHK 100803
North Korea fires artillery rounds in Yellow Sea: (CNN) -- North Korea fired more than 100 artillery rounds Monday on
its side of the border with South Korea in the Yellow Sea, South Korea's Defense
Ministry said.
The North fired 10 artillery rounds between 5:30 and 5:33 p.m. local time
(4:30 to 4:33 a.m. ET) and 100 rounds between 5:55 and 6:14 p.m. (4:55 to 5:14
a.m. ET), the ministry said.
The shells landed on the North Korean side of the Northern Limit Line, the
disputed border between the two nations in the Yellow Sea, the ministry said.
The South Korean military issued a loudspeaker warning to Northern forces, which
did not respond, according to the ministry.
South Korea began a major naval exercise last week in the Yellow Sea, the
largest since 46 South Korean sailors died in March in the sinking of a South
Korean warship.
A South Korean investigation determined that North Korea was responsible for
the sinking of the warship, the Cheonan, but Pyongyang has vehemently denied
it.
However, North Korea said it would "react with strong physical retaliation to
the anti-submarine drill to be staged by the group of traitors in the West Sea,"
according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
On Sunday, news reports said a South Korean fishing boat in
the Sea of Japan and its seven crew members were being held by North Korea.
State-run media in Pyongyang reported that the crew was "detained," but few
other details were available.
-------------------------------
North Korean gunners fired 110 artillery rounds Monday into North Korean waters
in the Yellow Sea as South Korean vessels were concluding five days of war games
with an emphasis on anti-submarine warfare. A South Korean investigation determined that North Korea was responsible for
the sinking of the warship, the Cheonan, but Pyongyang has vehemently denied
it. The strong tensions following the sinking on March 26 of a 1,200-ton South Korean Navy
corvette, the Cheonan, in which 46 sailors died. A South Korean investigation,
including experts from the US, Australia, Britain, Canada, and Sweden, has found
that a North Korean midget submarine had fired the torpedo that split the
Cheonan in two, sinking it in minutes just south of the Yellow Sea border.
The American colonel has been suggesting the North Koreans study the results
of the Cheonan investigation, but the North Korean side reportedly has been
repeating denials of anything to do with the whole thing.
North
Korea rejects these findings. The North Korea owns Topido the minimum 75 Torpidos which you can see below lists:
Torpedo boats & missile
craft
US Drills Off Korea,
Pyongyang Threatens War:
;
US Drills Off Korea,
Pyongyang Threatens War
You can see why U.S. and the world is concrern for South Korea when you see the North Korea show off what they have......North Korea looks ready for war what you see on these photos...see below:
You can see why U.S. and the world is concrern for South Korea when you see the North Korea show off what they have...... North Korea looks ready for war what you see on these photos....
See more comparison drills from last year 2009 from South Korea and North Korea via youtube movies:
South Korea Annual Excercise from last year 2009:
North Korea Drill
On the other flip side, the North Korea's Army Naval Force is the navy of North Korea. The NorthKorea is made up of the
Ground Force, the North Korean Air Force, and the Navy. It
was established on June 5, 1946. The navy strength in the 1990s was about 40,000
to 60,000; current strength is at about 46,000.
There are some 708 vessels including 3 frigates and 70 submarines: approximately
20 Romeo
class submarines (1,800 tons), 40 Sang-O class submarines (300 tons) and
10 midget submarines including the Yono class submarine (130 tons).
The North Korean navy is considered a green-water navy and operates mainly within
the 50 kilometer exclusion zone. The fleet consists of east and west coast
squadrons, which are designed to trap the South Korean navy into a crab like
pincer. As the Korean Navy has only self defence concerns, the largest projected
distance their submarines could strike would be ~100km of the coastland of
Australia, for example.
The North Korea's many of the vessels are ex-Soviet or Chinese vessels, some designs dating from 1930s, but extensively modified. See below examples of the some of the lists that the North Korea carries:
The North Korea owns Utility/landing craft minmum 600. More detail information is available via wikipedia.
The recent statistic report shows that the South Korea's defense force, impressive display of arrays of army, navy, marine
and airforce. South Korea is one of very few nation in the world that can
produce it's own AEGIS Ship, Submarine, Cruise Missiles and various armor
vehicles. It also possessed one of deadliest special force and marine corp.
Currently Asias strongest army that even China can not take it lightly. Together
with other US allies (Australia, Philippine, Thailand, Japan) and intelligence
alliance with India. South Korea is one of very few country in Asia that can
capable of directly confronting communist forces of North Korea and China.
As the world knows, why U.S. and the world is concrern for South Korea Even in this time of intense concern about what will happen next, North Korea
and the United States have still been able to communicate at the truce “village”
of Panmunjom on the line between the two Koreas.
In a one-room structure where the Korean War armistice was signed on July 27,
1953, a North Korean colonel and an American colonel were to meet again Tuesday
morning for the fourth time since last month to talk about the Cheonan incident
and to try to arrange for a meeting between generals on both sides.
Since North Korea originally suggested the talks, however, the fact that they
are meeting at all is seen as a possible sign of the North’s desire to cool
tensions – and go to the next stage of resuming six-party talks on the North’s
nuclear program.
Meanwhile, South Korea agreed to send humanitarian aid trip to North Korea which the christian science Monitor reported on August 13, 2010.The aid is highly limited, and is going to the closest point in North Korea to Seoul, which is 40 miles south of the line between the two Koreas. Nonetheless, the planned journey next week of a South Korean doctor and two drivers to the ancient Korean capital of Kaesong, where they will deliver antimalaria drugs, may signal a slight shift in policy which would be about $336,000 worth of drugs to the city.
The United Nations, particularly the United States, came to the aid of the South
Koreans in repelling the invasion. After early defeats by the North Korean
military, when a rapid UN counter-offensive repelled the North Koreans past the
38th Parallel and almost to the Yalu River, the People's Republic of China (PRC)
came to the aid of Communist North.[26]
A Chinese counter-offensive repelled the United Nations forces past the 38th
Parallel. The Soviet Union materially aided North Korea and China. The threat of
a nuclear war eventually ceased with an armistice that restored the border
between the Koreas near the 38th Parallel and created the Korean
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) wide buffer zone between the
two Koreas.
The Strength total civilians killed/wounded:2.5 million (est.) South Korea: 990,968 and 373,599 killed 229,625 wounded 387,744 and abducted/missing for North Korea estimated 1,550,000.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army began an
offensive to invade South Korea that resulted in the capture of the republic’s
capital, Seoul, within four days. The United States, the United Kingdom and
other members of the United Nations moved to actively defend South Korea – an
effort that would last until July 27, 1953, when negotiations concluded and
fighting finally ended. Last June 25, 2010 was to remembering the 60th anniversary of the Korean War since the Korean War in 1950 - 1955:
U.S. to Send Aircraft Carrier Into Waters Off China for Drills: According to the bloomberg.com report dated August 5th, 2010: The U.S. will send a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea’s west
coast in the coming months for more joint drills that have sparked opposition
from China.
“Part of the sequence of exercises that we conduct will be a return of the
George Washington, including exercising in the Yellow Sea,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff
Morrell told reporters yesterday in Washington, referring to the strip of
water between the Korean peninsula and China. There will be more joint maneuvers
over the “next several months,” both in the peninsula’s western and eastern
waters, he said.
The USS George Washington took part in July
25-28 exercises off South Korea’s eastern coast designed to deter North Korea
from further provocations after the communist country was accused of sinking the
South Korean warship Cheonan in March. China says it is “firmly opposed” to any
threatening foreign military activities near its shores as it resists a U.S.
push to scale down China’s presence in the South China Sea.
China, North Korea’s largest trading partner and political ally, has resisted
blaming Kim
Jong Il’s regime for attacking the Cheonan, an incident that claimed the
lives of 46 sailors. South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea
after their 1950-1953 civil war ended in a cease-fire.
North Korea has repeatedly threatened “physical retaliation” against the
U.S.-South Korean military maneuvers since U.S. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates announced the plans last month during a visit to Seoul.
No Threat:
North Korea “should not feel in any way threatened by these exercises, while
at the same time it should be very, very clear that further military action will
not be tolerated,” Morrell said yesterday. “We’re going to hit all the various
kinds of exercises that can be conducted,” including anti- submarine and bombing
exercises, he added.
South Korea yesterday began its own anti-submarine drills in its western
waters that are set to last for five days. Its annual joint Ulchi
Freedom Guardian exercise with the U.S. will take place between Aug. 16 and
26.
Tensions between the U.S. and China over the seas between Korea and Vietnam
have intensified this year. China cut off military ties with the U.S. to protest
planned arms sales to Taiwan. Last month, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang
Jiechi sparred over China’s claims to sovereignty over almost all of the
South China Sea.
At a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the Vietnamese capital
of Hanoi, Clinton signaled her intent to intercede in the disputes in the
region.
Yesterday, the U.S. confirmed it is in talks with Vietnam to share nuclear
fuel and civilian nuclear technology, provoking an angry reaction from China.
The nuclear discussions with Vietnam underline “double standards” by the U.S.
as it promotes denuclearization, the China Daily newspaper cited Teng Jianqun,
deputy-director of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, as saying
yesterday.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bomi Lim in Seoul at blim30@bloomberg.net __________________________________________________
USS George Washington
during the 2004 deployment to the middle east.
USS George Washington Aircraft Carrier CVN-73 Persian Gulf Feb 1998. I cut this
as a bit of fun after several press "facilities" on board. Flew in on a C2
Greyhound - the twin turboprop transport plane seen in the video. Edited the old
fashioned way on a pair of Beta SP tape machines.
Previously homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, in May 2008 the carrier was en
route to its new homeport in Japan when it suffered a serious fire off the coast
of South America causing $70 million in damages and resulting in the relief from
command of both its Captain and Executive Officer. The George Washington
underwent repairs in San Diego, California, shortly
after the blaze, and finally arrived in Yokosuka on 24 September 2008 to a mixture of cheers
and protests from the local populace.
USS George
Washington sails into the port of Busan, Republic of Korea, July 21,
2010 (U.S. Navy
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles Oki)
Also USS George Washington (CVN 73), the United States Navy's only permanently, forward-deployed aircraft carrier visited the Korean port of Busan July 21-25, 2010.Sailors from USS George Washington and Carrier Air Wing 5 visited the wreckage
of the Republic of Korea ship Cheonan July 22 as part of the ship's four-day
port visit to Busan. Sailors from USS George Washington and Carrier Air Wing 5 visited the wreckage
of the Republic of Korea ship Cheonan July 22 as part of the ship's four-day
port visit to Busan. The GW Sailors who took part looked at schematics and evidence of damage the
ship received when it sank March 26, killing 46 of the ship's 104-man crew and expressed sincere concolances.
Sailors man the rails of the aircraft carrier USS George
Washington (CVN 73) as the ship arrives in Busan, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Rachel N.
Hatch/Released)
In addition to USS George Washington, three destroyers from its strike group will also visit Korean ports. USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) will visit Busan, and USS Lassen (DDG 82) will visit Chinhae.
"The U.S. Navy maintains a robust forward presence in the Asia-Pacific region and the people of the Republic of Korea are our good friend and ally," said George Washington commanding officer Capt. David Lausman. "Our presence here is a testament to the strength of our alliance and our constant readiness to defend the Republic of Korea."
While in Busan, the George Washington will host a reception for distinguished members of the community, and will conduct a number of guided tours of the 97,000-ton aircraft carrier.
The US Navy maintains a robust forward
presence in the Asia-Pacific region and George Washington’s visit is an example
of the strong alliance the U.S. which maintains with the Republic of Korea. This is the first
port visit for George Washington during its 2010 Western Pacific summer patrol
and the second visit to Busan by the ship since October of 2008.
UNC/CFC/USFK Public Affairs OfficeNEWS RELEASE July 23, 2010, shows that The Republic of Korea and Combined Forces Command have announced that the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise will take place from August 16-26, 2010.
UFG is an exercise that takes place about the same time every year. This year's UFG, like Exercise Key Resolve in the Spring, will be a CFC-led exercise to ensure the Alliance is fully prepared to respond to any potential provocations.
United Nations Command informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea about the exercise today in a meeting with the Korean People’s Army Panmunjom Mission.
Remembering The Victims of South Korean Military Disaster - Cheonan, March 26, 2010:
Memorial Services held in April 28, 2010 at the Seattle
Republic of Korean Consulate office and 1627 S. 312th
St, Federal Way, Wa for the
Victims (March 26, 2010) of the South Korean Military Disaster:
Cheonan. Sponsored by: Korean American 6.25 Korean War and Vietnam War Veterans Assoc.
ROK Consul General (WA), KWA (Korean Women's Association), Korean
American Association of Federal Way and Korean American Association of Tacoma,
WA. Senator Paull Shin, Retired South Korea Navy General, Nampyo Park, the City
of Federal Way Council Member, Michael Park, and Minister, Cho, and President of Korean
American Vietnam War Veterans Association, Lee Chang Rae delivered
the special condolences and expressed appreciation of the 46 heroes
of the South Korean Navy and condemned for terrors of act which killed innocent people.
MC: Minister, Chae
soon Jong led the service: Special Poetry was read by Poet,
Moon Hae Sook. Amazing Grace and How great thou Art medly sang by Sandra Englund, Prayer by Minister Park Jae Kwon.
We have learned that the
sorrows and unforgettable terrors of action which killed innocent people
with no reason.
This terrible disaster news shocks the world.
The painful tear and painful heart will united stronger and must
prevent the terrors and keep away from the
fears for the South Korea and around the
world. The United State of America and UN to working together
to support and protecting South Korea and the world in order to
protecting environment from out of the nuclear danger and terrors attack.
Condolences and prayers for those of who lost loved ones and who
are injured by the Military disaster, Ship sinking in March 26th,
2010.
Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund
---------------------------------------------
The White House Office of the Press Secretary ______________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
March 31, 2010
Readout of the President's Call with President Lee
Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea
The President called President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea today
to offer his support and condolences following the sinking of the South Korean
Navy vessel Cheonan on March 26. The President told President Lee that the
thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the families of those
missing and with the family of the South Korean Navy diver who died trying to
rescue them. The President noted that the US Navy had extended assistance to
South Korea’s ongoing search and recovery effort and said we were prepared to
provide further help if needed. They also discussed the upcoming Nuclear
Security Summit in Washington, DC on April 12-13.
Torpedo hits a Destroyer (July
02, 2007 - A torpedo tears this Destroyer in two.)
CCTV March 26, 2010
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An
explosion caused by a torpedo likely tore apart and sank a South Korean warship
near the North Korean border, Seoul's defense minister said Sunday, while
declining to assign blame for the blast as suspicion increasingly falls on
Pyongyang.
Defense Minister Kim
Tae-young said an underwater explosion appeared to have ripped apart the
vessel, and a torpedo blast seemed the most likely cause. Investigators who
examined salvaged wreckage separately announced Sunday that a close-range,
external explosion likely sank it.
"Basically, I
think the bubble jet effect caused by a heavy torpedo is the most likely"
cause, Kim told reporters. The bubble jet effect refers to the rapidly
expanding bubble an underwater blast creates and the subsequent destructive
column of water unleashed.
Kim, however, did not
speculate on who may have fired the weapon and said an investigation was
ongoing and it's still too early to determine the cause.
Soon after the
disaster, Kim told lawmakers that a North Korean torpedo was one of the likely
scenarios, but the government has been careful not to blame the North outright,
and Pyongyang has denied its involvement.
As investigations have pointed to an external explosion as the cause of the
sinking, however, suspicion of the North has grown, given the country's history
of provocation and attacks on the South.
The Cheonan was on a
routine patrol on March 26 when the unexplained explosion split it in two in
one of South Korea's worst naval disasters. Forty bodies have been recovered so
far, but six crew members are still unaccounted for and are presumed dead.
The site of the
sinking is near where the rival Koreas fought three times since 1999, most
recently a November clash that left one North Korean soldier dead and three
others wounded. The two Koreas are still technically at war because their
1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Also Sunday,
investigators said a preliminary investigation of the front part of the
1,200-ton ship — retrieved the day before — pointed to an external explosion.
Chief investigator
Yoon Duk-yong told reporters that an inspection of the hull pointed to an
underwater explosion. He appeared to support the bubble jet effect theory,
saying, "It is highly likely that a non-contact explosion was the case
rather than a contact explosion."
But he, too, said it
was too early to determine what caused the explosion.
Earlier Sunday,
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan said South Korea will take "stern"
action against whoever was behind the explosion as the country started a
five-day funeral for the 46 dead and missing sailors. Makeshift alters were set
up in Seoul and other major cities to allow citizens to pay their respect.
"We will
remember all of you in the name of the Republic of Korea to let you keep alive
in our hearts," said Chung, clad in a black suit and tie. The 46 sailors
will be promoted by one rank and awarded posthumous medals, he said.
In Pyongyang, the
North marked the 78th anniversary of the founding of the country's military
Sunday with a vow to "mercilessly" punish any hostile moves by
"the imperialist enemies," a term it uses when referring to the U.S.
Pyongyang routinely
accuses the U.S. of plotting to invade the North, despite the repeated denials
by Washington.
"If the
imperialist enemies intrude into" the North's territory, "its army
will beat them back at a stroke by mercilessly showering bombs and shells on
them," the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial
carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. It didn't mention the ship sinking.
------------------------------------------
Last April 19th, 2010, An emotional President Lee Myung-bak vowed Monday to find out why a South
Korean naval ship sank and to "deal resolutely" with whatever or whomever caused
the sinking, the country's Yonhap news agency reported.-
April 19th, news CNN reported that there were 58 rescued after explosion. There were total 104 crew members on Board and 40 others are missing on Friday Evening. It started sinking near Baengnyeong Island, which
is controlled by South Korea, after an explosion that occurred Friday evening. Baengnyeong Island is the westermost point of South Korea. Travel time by boat
to the island from Incheon is about four hours.
An
explosion caused by a torpedo likely tore apart and sank a South Korean warship
near the North Korean border, Seoul's defense minister said Sunday, while
declining to assign blame for the blast as suspicion increasingly falls on
Pyongyang. Relatives of the missing sailed
overnight aboard a military ship, arriving at the scene of the sinking on
Sunday.
The sinking of the ship near the disputed sea border, where the navies of the
two Koreas have fought bloody skirmishes, raised the possibility of a North
Korean torpedo attack or sabotage. The South Korean defense minister, Kim
Tae-young, told Parliament that the authorities would investigate such a
possibility but emphasized that it was too early to connect the sinking to North
Korea.
The ship, a 1,200-ton frigate built in 1989, was on a routine patrol mission
with 104 crew members on board.
See below movie as an example how Torpedo destroys the ship:
“I heard a terrible explosion and the ship keeled suddenly to the right. We
lost power and telecommunications,” Choi Won-il, captain of the Cheonan, told
the relatives. “I was trapped in the cabin for five minutes before my colleagues
broke the window in and let me out. When I got out, the stern had already broken
away and disappeared underwater.”
Most of those missing were believed to have been trapped inside their rapidly
sinking ship as waters gushed into their dark under deck, officials said.
“Many sailors were hanging onto the bow of the sinking ship,” Kim Jin-ho, a
crewman on a civilian ferry to Baengnyeong, a South Korean border island, told
YTN television, describing the rescue scene on Friday night. “They were shouting
for help. They were falling into water.”
The sinking of the ship near the disputed sea border, where the navies of the
two Koreas have fought bloody skirmishes, raised the possibility of a North
Korean torpedo attack or sabotage. The South Korean defense minister, Kim
Tae-young, told Parliament that the authorities would investigate such a
possibility but emphasized that it was too early to connect the sinking to North
Korea.
Many of the incidents occurring at sea are due to border disputes. The North
claims jurisdiction over a large area south of the de facto western
maritime border, the Northern Limit Line. As this is prime fishing area, clashes
are common. In addition, the North claims its territorial waters extend for
50 nautical miles (90 km) from the coast, rather than the 12 nautical miles
(22 km) recognized by other countries.
If we go back to the November 10, 2009: Naval vessels from the two Koreas exchanged fire in the area
of the NLL, reportedly causing serious damage to a North Korean patrol ship.
March 26, 2010: One South Korean naval vessel is sunk in the Yellow Sea near
North Korea. Reasons for this attack are unknown. 58 sailors are rescued, but
others are feared to be dead. Though not much evidence is available, the common
theory among the U.S. and South Korean governments is that North Korea is behind
this attack. North Korea had reportedly been running numerous artillery drills
on the same day the ship was brought down.
On Saturday, recovery crews found the body of a missing sailor in the
wreckage of the ship. The ship sunk in the Yellow Sea near the western sea border with North Korea
on March 26. Forty of Cheonan's 104 crew members have now been confirmed dead, and six
more are also believed dead, though they are still listed as missing. Fifty eight others were rescued before the vessel sank .
Condolences and prayers for those of who lost loved ones and
who are injured by the Military disaster, Ship sinking in March 26th,
2010,
Resources:
Fox News
Yahoo
Youtube
Reuters
CNN
Washington Post
wikipedia
Reported by Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, April 25, 2010
South
Korea ship sinking may be North's grandstanding
According
to Reuters, Herskovitz - Analysis SEOUL dated, Fri
Mar 26, 2010 12:25pm EDT:
The Seoul government has called an emergency meeting of senior
cabinet ministers.
The North will not escalate tensions to the state of war, which
would be a suicidal move for leader Kim Jong-il because his ill-equipped
army would be no match for the advanced militaries of South Korea
and its biggest ally the United States.
* If the North did attack the South's ship, the likely reason
would have been to raise tension ahead of its return to the nuclear
talks. The North often rattles sabers ahead of major diplomatic
meetings to alarm its dialogue partners in the hope that they
would be more willing to make concessions in return for Pyongyang
reducing its military threat to the region.
* Military grandstanding by the North usually only has a temporary
impact on markets, with investors saying it would take the threat
of war to cause real and lasting impact.
* North Korea risks further hits to its economy by an attack on
the South. Its nearly bare coffers have been further depleted
by U.N. sanctions imposed after a nuclear test in May while a
botched currency revaluation at the end of last year added to
its woes and sparked rare civil unrest.
*
A North Korean attack on the South strengthens Kim's standing
at home among the country's powerful military. This could help
him reshuffle cadres or perhaps clear the way for his youngest
son to be named heir of the communist dynasty when the North's
parliament holds its annual meeting on April 9.
* The North may follow the attack with other sorts of military
grandstanding that could include missile launches or even another
nuclear test.
* If Pyongyang goes too far, it could be hit by U.S. Treasury
measures that would virtually cut off its meager international
finances. This would deal a major blow to Kim who needs hard cash
to win the support of cadres for his succession plans and to pay
for an ambitious program lauded in his state's media to build
a "strong and prosperous" nation by 2012.
---------------------------------------
South
Korea says not clear North involved in ship sinking. A South Korean
naval ship was sinking on Friday night with more than 100 people
on board, but officials played down earlier suggestions that it
may have been the result of an attack by North Korea.
"It
is not clear whether North Korea was involved," Presidential Blue
House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told Reuters.
The
Joint Chiefs of Staff also said it could not conclude that the
reclusive North was behind the attack.
Earlier,
South Korean media had quoted officials as saying the North could
have torpedoed the ship near the disputed western sea border that
separates the two Koreas.
The
sinking comes as the impoverished North has become increasingly
frustrated by its wealthy neighbor, which has given the cold-shoulder
to recent attempts to reopen a lucrative tourist business on the
northern side of the Cold War's last frontier.
It
also coincides with mounting pressure on Pyongyang to call off
a more than one-year boycott of international talks to end its
efforts to build a nuclear arsenal.
The
presidential office had earlier also said a South Korean vessel
had fired at an unidentified vessel in the North.
The
government held an emergency security meeting following the incident,
Yonhap news agency said.
The
ship was sinking near the disputed Yellow Sea border off the west
coast of the peninsula which was the scene of two deadly naval
fights between the rival Koreas in the past decade.
Local
media reports said at least 59 South Korean sailors survived the
attack and an unknown number appeared to have been killed or are
missing. A rescue operation was under way.
Navies
from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire for the first time in
seven years in the Yellow Sea waters in November, damaging vessels
on both sides.
The
international community has been pressuring the North to give
up efforts to build nuclear weapons, promising help for its broken
economy if it does so.
There
has been widespread speculation that North Korea's iron ruler,
Kim Jong-il, was about to visit China, his only significant ally
and on which he has depended almost entirely for economic aid
after a new conservative government in Seoul effectively ended
years of free-flowing assistance.
In
Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a nuclear
arms reduction treaty announced with Russia earlier in the day
showed states like North Korea that non-proliferation was a top
priority for Moscow and Washington.
Satellite
imagery via /US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Seclected
North Korean Prison Camp Locations
Source:U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Strengthening
the Global Leadership under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
to stop the spread of these weapons, and to ensure that other
nations meet their own responsibilities.
President Obama and President Medvedev agreed to meet in Prague,
the Czech Republic, on Thursday, April 8, to sign the Treaty between
the United States of America and the Russian Federation.
This was the 14th meeting and shared commitment to “reset” U.S.-Russia
relations which shows the mutual interest along many dimensions.
21
Consecutive 5 inch Deck Gun Shots from US NAVY DESTROYER
November
10, 2009 :North and South Korean naval ships have fired on each
other off the western coast of the peninsula. Each claims the
other side violated their territorial waters. (Nov 10)
Sources:
Yahoo, Reuters, Youtube, CNN, White House
Reported by Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund.
THE
WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov 19, 2009
Remarks by President Barack Obama and President Lee Myung-Bak of Republic of
Korea in Joint Press Conference
Blue House, Seoul, South Korea
12:35 P.M. KST
PRESIDENT LEE: (As translated.) We have beautiful weather today. I know
that yesterday we had sub-zero cold. And President Obama brought with him very
nice weather. On behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea, I wish to
extend our warmest welcome and greetings to President Obama and his
delegation.
We know how much President Obama appreciates and understands the value of
Korean and Asian cultures. I believe that President Obama's global leadership,
a leadership that is based on mutual respect and mutual goals, will help usher
in an era of hope and renewal to the United States and better serve peace and
prosperity throughout the world.
Having held three summit meetings with him, and having met many times in
various multilateral settings over the past 10 months, I think I can say that we
have indeed become very close friends. In particular, I think our discussions
today have been particularly in depth and very fruitful, very honest talks. The
relationship between our two countries is excellent and stands stronger than
ever. President Obama and I believe that it can become even stronger. So we
will continue to consult on specific ways to move our relationship forward.
President Obama and I reaffirmed the solid ROK-U.S. defense posture,
including the extended deterrence. We also agreed to further develop our
partnership so that it can become an example of what a strategic alliance of the
21st century should be by faithfully implementing the joint vision for the
alliance adopted at our last meeting in June.
As part of these efforts, we agreed to have our foreign and defense ministers
to meet and discuss specific ways to develop our alliance to the future sometime
next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean
War.
President Obama and I expressed our shared satisfaction that Korea and the
United States are working closely together with regards to our approach
vis-à-vis North Korea and the nuclear issue. We also reaffirmed our commitment
to the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea through the
six-party talks. We fully share the view that the North Korean nuclear issue
requires a definite and comprehensive resolution, as I described in our grand
bargain, and agreed to closely consult on how to elaborate and implement this
approach.
It is my hope that North Korea would accept our proposal so that we can usher
in a new era in which North Korea can be assured of its security and its people
can enjoy real improvements in their quality of life. We agreed to work closely
together with the other countries in the six-party process to bring North Korea
back to the six-party talks at an early date, and make sure that North Korea
takes substantive measures towards its denuclearization.
Moreover, we noted our shared concern for North Korean humanitarian issues
and agreed to work together to bring improvements in this area.
Meanwhile President Obama and I reaffirmed the economic and strategic
importance of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. We agreed to redouble our
efforts to move the agreement forward.
Noting with satisfaction the achievements of the G20 summit meeting in
Pittsburgh, President Obama and I agreed to continue cooperating on implementing
a framework for ensuring a strong sustainable and balanced growth. We also
agreed to work together to ensure the success of next November's G20 summit to
be held here in Korea.
At the same time, we share the view that such global challenges as climate
change, green growth, nonproliferation, and counterterrorism requires a
collective response.
In particular I would like to commend President Obama's endeavor towards a
world without nuclear weapons, and in this respect the Republic of Korea intends
to participate in and do its part to ensure the success of next April's nuclear
security summit in Washington, D.C.
I am very pleased that we were able to have candid discussions on important
issues that confront us, and I'm happy that we produced fruitful outcomes.
I also wish to once again congratulate President Obama on his very successful
trip to Asia. And let me once again join the Korean people in expressing to
President Obama and his delegation our warmest sentiments of friendship.
Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it's a great honor to be making my first trip to the
Republic of Korea as President of the United States. I want to thank my good
friend, President Lee, and the Korean people, for their extraordinary
hospitality. And I have to say that the arrival ceremony for our state visit
was as spectacular as any that we've seen.
I was privileged to host President Lee in Washington in June. As he
mentioned, we've seen each other in many multilateral forums, as well, and we've
developed a strong working relationship and friendship. And it's a great
pleasure to visit this beautiful city.
The Republic of Korea is a close and valued friend and ally of the United
States. The strong bonds between our people were forged in the battles of the
Korean War nearly 60 years ago. Our alliance, which is grounded in shared
interests and values, has provided peace and security on this peninsula and in
the region for many decades. And I'm pleased to say that our alliance has never
been stronger than it is today.
The 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War presents an important
opportunity to honor the service of our veterans, to reflect on the principles
for which they fought, and to move forward in adapting our alliance to meet the
challenges of the 21st century. As part of this process, we agreed that
Secretaries Clinton and Gates will meet with their Korean counterparts next year
to work on realizing our shared vision for the alliance going forward.
The Republic of Korea has made extraordinary progress in the six decades
since the Korean War. Evidence of that progress can be seen in Korea's strong
democracy, its vibrant economy, but it can also be seen in Korea's increasingly
prominent role in global affairs. Indeed, in just one generation, the Republic
of Korea has gone from a recipient of aid to a donor nation and -- under the
leadership of President Lee, a leader within the G20.
The United States has been proud to stand as a friend and ally of the Korean
people throughout this period. And later today, I'll also visit some of our
servicemen and women, who represent America's unwavering commitment to the
security of this country. In going forward, I know that our two nations can
strengthen our cooperation on a range of critical issues, including several that
we discussed today.
On North Korea, our governments have maintained extraordinarily close
cooperation, and President Lee and I are in full agreement on our common
approach going forward. I reaffirmed my commitment to continue working together
in the six-party process to achieve a definitive and comprehensive resolution of
the nuclear issue. As a part of that effort, we will be sending Ambassador
Bosworth to North Korea on December 8th to engage in direct talks with the North
Koreans.
Our message is clear: If North Korea is prepared to take concrete and
irreversible steps to fulfill its obligations and eliminate its nuclear weapons
program, the United States will support economic assistance and help promote its
full integration into the community of nations. That opportunity and respect
will not come with threats -- North Korea must live up to its obligations.
The Republic of Korea is also, obviously, a close trading partner of the
United States, and the relationship between our nations advance our common
prosperity. To strengthen those ties, President Lee and I discussed the
U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, which holds out the promise of serving our
mutual interests. And together, we're committed to working together to move the
agreement forward.
I also thanked President Lee for his leadership at the G20, as we continue
our efforts to transition from rescuing the global economy to promoting balanced
and sustainable growth. In that effort, Korea will play a critical role as a
host for the G20 next year.
We also discussed the importance of promoting security and stability in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, and I welcomed President Lee's decision to establish a
Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. This important contribution will
help support the strengthening of Afghan capacity, which is essential to
achieving our goals in Afghanistan.
And finally, we agreed to coordinate our efforts to clean energy and climate
change. I told President Lee that Korea's recent announcement of an ambitious
target for 2020 is a model for emerging economies. And building on the progress
that we made at APEC and in Beijing, I will continue to work closely with
President Lee to help pave the way for a successful outcome in Copenhagen next
month.
Once again, I want to thank President Lee and the Korean people for their
warm hospitality. I look forward to working with you, Mr. President, to
strengthen a relationship that does so much to advance the mutual interests of
our citizens. And as a fan of Korean culture and Korean barbecue, I'm also very
much looking forward to lunch that we'll be having in a few minutes. So thank
you very much. Kamsa hamnida.
Q First of all, welcome to Korea, Mr. President. A question going out to
President Lee regarding the North Korea nuclear issue. Do you envisage any
timeline between Korea and the United States in order to resolve the North
Korean nuclear issue? Do you have any deadlines about it? And also regarding
the grand bargain proposal that you proposed to North Korea, how do you think
that the North Koreans will react to your grand bargain proposal? And both of
you mentioned the result of your talks, but what kind of things did you discuss
regarding the KORUS FTA?
A question going out to President Obama on the KORUS FTA -- the KORUS FTA is
regarded here within Korea as something that will further strengthen bilateral
relationship between Korea and the United States, and many Korean people are
hopeful or hoping for the early ratification of the KORUS FTA. And I would just
like to ask, Mr. President, of your strategic vision regarding the KORUS
FTA?
And as for the grand bargain proposal, I would just like to ask you how much
do you intend to cooperate with the South Koreans in implementing this?
PRESIDENT LEE: I think we promised to ask one question to one leader, but I
think you're asking many questions all at once. First of all, on North Korea
nuclear issue and convincing North Korea to give up their nuclear weapons
program, it is not a simple matter. We know that for sure. For the last 20
years or so, we've been dealing with the North Koreans and negotiating with the
North Koreans. We would take one step forward and two steps back, and that has
taken 20 years, and still we do not have a full resolvement of this issue.
Now, with President Obama and the White House, we were successful in passing
and adopting a U.N. Security Council resolution. International cooperation is
perfect in my opinion in terms of trying to resolve this issue peacefully, and I
think we are entering into a new chapter in bringing this issue to an end.
I do not put any deadline to resolving this North Korean nuclear issue. Of
course we would want to resolve this issue as soon as possible because that is
critical for ensuring peace and stability of the region and the world. And so
this is why I proposed a grand bargain proposal.
And what's important is to really know whether North Korea has genuine intent
to give up fully and verifiably their nuclear weapons program. We must find out
the intention of the North Koreans, and as soon as we find out, the better it
is. And the negotiations to convince North Korea to resolve their nuclear
weapons issue, like I said, it is not going to be easy, but I believe it is
possible that we can resolve this issue peacefully. So together with President
Obama and the international community, we will work to resolve this issue.
About the grand bargain, the North Koreans haven't yet conveyed what they
thought of the grand bargain, but in order for the North Koreans to ensure their
stability, to improve the lives of the North Korean population, to have economic
prosperity -- in short, for a better future the North Koreans -- it is my wish
that the North Koreans will adopt the grand bargain proposal.
And as for the KORUS FTA, I'm sure President Obama will be making a comment,
so I'll just listen.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, with respect to North Korea, there's
going to be extraordinarily close coordination between our two countries, as
there has been for many years.
The thing I want to emphasize is that President Lee and I both agree on the
need to break the pattern that has existed in the past in which North Korea
behaves in a provocative fashion; it then is willing to return to talks; it
talks for a while and then leaves the talks seeking further concessions, and
there's never actually any progress on the core issues.
I think President Lee is exactly right, and my administration is taking the
same approach, which is the door is open to resolving these issues peacefully,
for North Korea to see over time the reduction of sanctions and its increasing
integration into the international community -- something that will be good for
its people -- but it will only happen if North Korea is taking serious steps
around the nuclear issue. And we will not distracted by a whole host of other
side items that end up generating a lot of meetings but not concrete action.
Now, with respect to the free trade agreement, I am a strong believer that
both countries can benefit from expanding our trade ties. And so I have told
President Lee and his team that I am committed to seeing the two countries work
together to move this agreement forward. There are still issues that are being
discussed and worked on and we have put our teams in place to make sure that we
are covering all the issues that might be a barrier to final ratification of the
agreement.
With respect to the United States, I think it's important to understand --
and I shared this with President Lee -- that American companies and workers are
very confident in our ability to compete and we recognize that there's not only
a economic but also a strategy interest in expanding our ties to South Korea.
There is obviously also a concern within the United States around the incredible
trade imbalances that have grown over the last several decades. Those
imbalances are not as prominent with Korea, but there has been a tendency I
think to lump all of Asia together when Congress looks at trade agreements and
says it appears as if this is one-way street.
And one of my goals is to make sure that as we work through these issues,
that the American people, American businesses, American workers recognize that
we have to look at each agreement and each country on its own merits, and make
sure that we can create the kind of win-win situation that I know President Lee
is interested in seeing, as well.
I think that we've got a question. Julianna.
Q Thank you, Mr. President, President Lee. President Obama, it appears
that Iran has rejected the international offer on its nuclear problem. What are
the severe consequences that you threaten, and when will we see them?
And for President Lee, are you willing to open up your market to U.S.
automobiles to get the Korean free trade agreement moving again?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: With respect to Iran, at the beginning of my administration
we put in place a policy that we have executed as drawn up over the last several
months. What we said was that we would take a new approach and say to Iran that
we are willing to engage them directly; that we would organize the international
community around a series of proposals that would permit Iran to show its
intentions to give up any nuclear weapon programs and pursue peaceful nuclear
energy under the framework of a nonproliferation regime; that even as we were
organizing the international community to put forward a fair deal to the
Iranians, that we would also move on a dual track and that we weren't going to
duplicate what has happened with North Korea in which talks just continue
forever without any actual resolution to the issue -- so that we indicated that
our offer would be on the table for a certain period of time, and that when that
time ran out, we would look at other approaches that would increase pressure on
Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program.
Since that time, through the auspices of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, as well as the P5-plus-1, we put forward such a proposal, one in which
low-enriched uranium could be removed from Iran, processed outside of Iran,
returned to them in a way that couldn't be weaponized and used for research
purposes. The fairness of the deal I think is confirmed by the fact that
Russia, China, the other members of the P5-plus-1, as well as Mohamed ElBaredei,
the Secretary General of the IAEA, all confirmed that this was a smart, creative
proposal that could lead to a path in which Iran was no longer in breach of its
international agreements, and that Iran should accept them.
Iran has taken weeks now and has not shown its willingness to say yes to this
proposal. And I have not seen the report that you're referring to today, but
we've seen indications that, whether it's for internal political reasons or
because they are stuck in some of their own rhetoric, they have been unable to
get to yes.
And so as a consequence, we have begun discussions with our international
partners about the importance of having consequences; that the dual-track
approach requires Iran to get a clear message that when it fails to take
advantage of these opportunities, that in fact it is not making itself more
secure, it's making itself less secure. And our expectation is, is that over
the next several weeks we will be developing a package of potential steps that
we could take that will indicate our seriousness to Iran.
I continue to hold out the prospect that they may decide to walk through this
door. I hope they do. But what I'm pleased about is the extraordinary
international unity that we've seen. If you think at the beginning of the year
how disjointed international efforts were and how uneven perceptions were about
Iran's nuclear program and where we are today, I think it's an indication that
we've taken the right approach.
PRESIDENT LEE: With regards to the automobile, in principle I believe in
free trade and I believe that the international community must strengthen free
trade. The last two decades or so I think free trade and the movement of goods
and services was the driving force behind the development and economic
prosperity that we enjoy today.
But at the same time, I also believe that the global economy should grow in a
more sustained and balanced way, as well. If there are any imbalances between
two economies, it should be corrected. And this is a topic and an agenda that
is being discussed within the G20 forum, and this is something that President
Obama and I talked about, as well.
For me, Korea and the United States, the facts are clear, trade
imbalances between our two countries is not great. I think it is safe to say
that we have almost a balanced account between Korea and the United States. Of
course, when Korea was a closed economy with protectionist measures, there were
some trade imbalances. But compared to countries like China and Japan, the
trade imbalances between our two countries is very miniscule.
And President Obama, as he mentioned in his brief remarks just now, he said
that all different economies should be judged on their own merits, and free
trade agreements is not an exception. And he and I had very candid and frank
discussions and forward-looking discussions between us today during the meeting
on how to move the KORUS FTA forward. And I very much appreciate President
Obama for engaging in such discussions.
In the United States I think there is a misperception that KORUS FTA, once it
is passed, that it is somehow going to only benefit Korea and be detrimental to
American consumers, which is not true. Of course there are economic
perspectives to take into consideration, but there are -- a much bigger
strategic perspective to this. And I believe overall this is beneficial for
both Korea and the United States.
Of course each industry will be impacted differently. Here in Korea the
service sector, the agricultural sector, they are completely against the passage
of the KORUS FTA because they lag far behind their American counterparts. But
for us, the Korean government, we view the KORUS FTA in a more comprehensive
matter. Overall it is beneficial for us in the long term.
If there is any problems in the automobile sector, like you asked, then we
are ready to resolve this issue. There are other automobile manufacturers, like
in the Europeans -- as we all know, they produce a tremendous number of
automobiles, and we have a free trade agreement with the 27-member European
Union, and we have an agreement which has been signed. And we are engaging more
and more with our European partners.
And so I think we should have more opportunities to talk about these issues
with each other. And on this issue, President Obama and I talked about in
detail again how to move forward this agreement. I believe that, again, this is
beneficial for both Korea and the United States.
Thank you. We will be now concluding the joint press availability between
Korea and the U.S.
END 1:00 P.M. KST
Source:
The White House.
North
and South Korean Ships Exchange
Fire in Gunbattle
On November 10th, 2009
Sources:
Yahoonews and CNN
CNN
News: North and South Korea fired in Gunbattle
Joint
Security Area North and South Korea
The Joint Security Area (JSA), often called the "Truce Village"
in both the media[ and various military accounts, is the only
portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where South and
...
North
Korea's nervous neighbours - 29 May 09:North Korea's nuclear test
has rattled the nerves of many of its neighbours, triggering fears
of a regional arms race and the possibly that other countries, including
Japan, might chose to develop .
President
Obama on North Korea:The President gives remarks on North Korea's
nuclear weapons test. May 25, 2009. (Public Domain)
Defector
warns of N Korea chemical threat - 24 Jul 09: While much of the
world's attention has been on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme,
a defector is warning of a more imminent threat. He says that Pyongyang
has a sophisticated chemical and b...
May 27, 2009 :North Korea Tests Nuclear Bomb: This one was much
bigger than the last said Russian officials. They also noted that
the bomb detonated underground Monday was comparable to those that
obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, raising fe... ...
SEOUL,
South Korea - A badly damaged North Korean patrol ship retreated in flames
Tuesday after a skirmish with a South Korean naval vessel along their disputed
western coast, South Korean officials said.
The
first naval clash in seven years broke out just a week before President
Barack Obama is due to visit Seoul, raising suspicions the North's communist
regime is trying to rachet up tensions to gain a negotiating advantage.
There
were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said
in a statement, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties
on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the
sea border.
The exchange of fire occurred as U.S. officials said Obama
has decided to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks
on the communist country's nuclear weapons program. No date has been set,
but the talks would be the first one-on-one negotiations since Obama took
office in January.
"It
was an intentional provocation by North Korea to draw attention ahead
of Obama's trip," said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Seoul's
Myongji University.
He also said the North was sending a message to
Obama that it wants to replace the armistice agreement that ended the
Korean War in 1953 with a permanent peace treaty while keeping its nuclear
weapons.
Washington
has consistently said that Pyongyang must abandon its nuclear arsenal
for any peace treaty to be concluded. North Korea has conducted two underground
nuclear tests since 2006 and is believed to have enough weaponized plutonium
for half a dozen atomic weapons.
"We are sternly protesting to North
Korea and urging it to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," South
Korean Rear Adm. Lee Ki-sik told reporters in Seoul.
North
Korea's military issued a statement blaming South Korea for the "grave
armed provocation," saying its ships had crossed into North Korean territory.
The
North claimed that a group of South Korean warships opened fire but fled
after the North Korean patrol boat dealt "a prompt retaliatory blow."
The statement, carried on the official Korean Central News Agency, said
the South should apologize.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who
convened an emergency security meeting, ordered the South's defense minister
to strengthen military readiness.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff
said in a statement that a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed
western sea border about 11:27 a.m. (0227 GMT), drawing warning shots
from a South Korean navy vessel. The North Korean boat then opened fire
and the South's ship returned fire before the North's vessel sailed back
toward its waters, the statement said.
The clash occurred near the
South Korean-held island of Daecheong, about 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers)
off the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, the statement said.
The
North Korean ship was seriously damaged in the skirmish, a Joint Chiefs
of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan told lawmakers the ship was on fire when
it fled north.
Lee, the rear admiral, said the shooting lasted for
about two minutes, during which the North Korean ship fired about 50 rounds
at the South Korean vessel, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) away. He
said the South Korean ship was lightly damaged.
He said several Chinese
fishing boats were operating in the area at the time of clash, but they
were undamaged. Chung, the prime minister, described the clash as "accidental,"
telling lawmakers that two North Korean ships had crossed into South Korean
waters in an attempt to clamp down on Chinese fishing.
Lee, however,
said the South Korean military was investigating if the North's alleged
violation was deliberate. The Koreas regularly accuse each other of straying
into their respective territories. South Korea's military said that North
Korean ships have already violated the sea border 22 times this year.
The two sides fought deadly skirmishes along the western sea border
in 1999 and 2002.
No South Koreans were killed in 1999, but six South
Korean sailors died in 2002, according to the South Korean navy. It said
exact North Korean causalities remain unclear.
Baek Seung-joo, a North
Korea expert at Seoul's state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses,
said Tuesday's clash would not have a big impact on inter-Korean relations.
He said the Koreas held a landmark summit in 2000 and the North sent
a cheering squad to the South for the Asian Games in 2002. Both events
took place after the separate clashes in 1999 and 2002.
Baek, like
fellow analyst Shin, said that North Korea caused the incident but that
Pyongyang appears to want to create tensions and use them for domestic
political consumption.
The two Koreas have yet to agree on their sea
border more than 50 years after the end of their 1950-53 Korean War, which
ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty. Instead, they rely on a
line that the then-commander of U.N. forces, which fought for the South,
drew unilaterally at the end of the conflict.
North Korea last month
accused South Korean warships of broaching its territory in waters off
the west coast and warned of a clash in the zone, which is a rich crab
fishing area.
The latest conflict comes after North Korea has reached
out to Seoul and Washington following months of tension over its nuclear
and missile programs.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket in
April and carried out its second underground nuclear test in May. But
it subsequently released South Korean and U.S. detainees, agreed to resume
joint projects with South Korea and offered direct talks with Washington.
Two administration officials said Monday in Washington that Obama
has decided, after months of deliberation, to send a special envoy to
Pyongyang for direct talks on nuclear issues.
Obama will send envoy
Stephen Bosworth, although no date for his trip has been set, the officials
said. The officials discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because
the decision has not been publicly announced.
Hundreds of thousands of combat-ready troops on both sides face across
the 155-mile-long (248-kilometers-long) land border that is also strewn
with land mines and tank traps and laced with barbed wire. About 28,500
U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to deter a potential North Korean
aggression.
Associated
Press Writer Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul and AP photographer Jin-man Lee in
Panmunjom, Korea contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS that about 50 rounds were fired by the North Korean
ship, not the South Korean.) .
According to the CNN news dated November 10th, 2009,
a patrol ship from the Communist North crossed the demarcation line late
Tuesday morning, prompting the South's navy to fire warning shots, the
South Korean official told Yonhap.
"The North Koreans then fired back," the official said.
CNN
also reported that antoher defense official told the news agency that
South Korea was not ruling out "the possibility that the clash may have
been accidental."
Back
in June 1999: A nine-day confrontation was sparked when several North
Korean ships intruded into disputed waters near the Northern Limit Line
on the Yellow Sea. A firefight erupted on 15 June 1999, sinking a North
Korean torpedo boat and damaging five others. Two South Korean vessels
were lightly damaged. North Korea issues a warning that violent exchanges
would continue if the disputed waters were to continue being intruded
by South Korea or the United States.
In
January 5, 2002: North Korean patrol boats continue to infiltrate into
South Korean waters, with another craft spotted off Yonpyong Island in
the Yellow Sea.
Also
in June
29, 2002: North Korean patrol
boats crossed the Northern Limit Line and fired at a South Korean patrol
boat, provoking a firefight which killed four South Korean military personnel
and an unknown number of North Koreans.
There
was an Air incidents in February 19,
2003: A North Korean fighter jet entered South Korean
airspace over the Yellow Sea, the first since 1983. Six South Korean fighter
planes responded, and the North Korean plane retreated after two minutes.
North
and South Korea have been bitterly divided since the 1950-53 war between
them ended without a peace treaty.
In August 1998, North Korea alarmed the world by successfully launching
a multi-stage missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. Nearly a
year later, reports from the Korean peninsula indicated that North Korea
was ready to launch an improved version of the missile, one capable of
striking the continental United States. It became clear for the first
time that North Korea could deliver a weapon of mass destruction not just
to Seoul, but also to Seattle.
North
Korea's WMD programs pose a major threat to the United States and its
allies. This threat has advanced considerably since 1994, There is significant
evidence that undeclared nuclear weapons development activity continues,
including efforts to acquire uranium enrichment technologies and recent
nuclear-related high explosive tests. It is not only the neighbor South
Korea and Japan's concern but also it is concern for the world whcih could
produce additional nuclear weapons outside of the constraints imposed
by the 1994 Agreed Framework.
But,
Now it is the biggist concern and major issue by the nations and around
the world which causing the main environmental issues due to the - The
North Korea total size 120,540 km2 (98th) 46,528 sq mi - Water (%) 4.87
small land producing the
nuclear-related high explosive tests which the land testing does not have
the nuclear waste management and also it will be hard to observe by the
small land. However, the contaminated waste will hurt the neighbor South
Korea worst by the air by water and for generation to generation like
nuclear radiation creating the unexpected human can think of......include
the eathquake....
This
is one other major issue that the world should consider:Long-Range
Missile Capabilities will hurt the worst in South Korea and Japan also
affecting greater areas like Canada and United States according to the
shown
in 1999 Data shown by U.S. Congress, Geography and Map Division.
See the potential North Korean Long-Range Missile Capabilities which shown
in 1999 by U.S. Congress data:
The
U.S. and the world including Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon would like
to see free of nuclear and it is serious issues which the international
efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and achieve nuclear disarmament
continue to face significant challenges. A nuclear weapon is an explosive
device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either
fission or a combination of fission and fusion.
U.S.
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Emphasised
Denuclearization North Korea at The White House, Rose Garden (June 16,
2009): "We
are more than willing to engage in negotiations to get North Korea on
a path of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, and we want to encourage
their prosperity," President Obama said in the Rose Garden alongside South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak. "But belligerent, provocative behavior
that threatens neighbors will be met with significant and serious enforcement
of sanctions that are in place.".
Pyongyang
fired seven short-range missiles in less than seven hours Regardless
diplomatic actions from UN
security council and U.S. .
Sources:
Yahoonews and foxnews
SEOUL,
South Korea - North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles Saturday into
waters off its east coast in a show of military firepower that defied
U.N. resolutions and drew global expressions of condemnation and concern.
The
salvo, confirmed by the South Korean government, also appeared to be a
slap at the United States as Washington moves to enforce U.N. as well
as its own sanctions against the isolated regime for its May 25 nuclear
test.
The
launches came on July 4, which is U.S. Independence Day. The display was
similar to one that took place three years ago, also while Americans celebrated
the Fourth of July during another period of tensions over Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons program.
The number of missiles was the same, though
in 2006 North Korea also launched a long-range rocket that broke apart
and fell into the ocean less than a minute after liftoff.
South Korea
said Saturday's missiles likely flew more than 250 miles (400 kilometers),
apparently landing in waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
South Korea and Japan both condemned the launches, with Tokyo calling
them a "serious act of provocation." Britain and France issued similar
statements.
Russia and China, both close to North Korea, expressed
concern over an "escalation of tension in the region," the Russian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement after a meeting in Moscow.
In Washington,
the White House had no immediate comment. But two senior officials in
President Barack Obama's administration, speaking in advance of the launches,
said any reaction was likely to be muted to avoid giving attention to
Pyongyang or antagonize it. They spoke on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
North Korea
has engaged in a series of acts this year widely seen as provocative.
It fired a long-range rocket it said was a satellite in early April, and
in late May it carried out its second underground nuclear test following
the first in late 2006.
The country has also stoked tensions with rival
South Korea and last month threatened "thousand-fold" military retaliation
against the U.S. and its allies if provoked.
In addition, North Korea
convicted two American journalists last month and sentenced them to 12
years hard labor for illegally entering the country. It is also holding
a South Korean worker for allegedly denouncing its political system.
The secretive communist country is believed undergoing a political transition
in which 67-year-old leader Kim Jong Il appears to be laying the groundwork
to transfer power to one of his sons. Kim himself took over from his late
father, the country's founder.
South Korean officials said Saturday's
launches came throughout the day and were part of military exercises.
The North, which had warned ships to stay away from waters off the east
coast through July 10, also fired what are believed to have been four
short-range cruise missiles Thursday.
Speculation had been building
for weeks that the launches were coming. The key question has been whether
the North might fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it vowed
to do in late April.
Despite a Japanese newspaper report last month
that one might be launched toward Hawaii in early July, U.S. officials
have noted no such preparations, which are complex, usually take days
and are often observable by spy satellites. Still, that hasn't stopped
Washington from boosting missile defenses as a precaution.
South Korea's
Yonhap news agency suggested launch activity may be winding down, at least
for now. It reported late Saturday, citing an unidentified military official,
that the North was pulling personnel from its missile launch site and
allowing ships to sail again off the coast. The Defense Ministry said
it could not confirm the report.
North Korea's state news agency did
not mention the launches, so it was hard to grasp Pyongyang's true intentions.
Officials and analysts, however, said they showed the country remains
happy to stand up to the international community and appears unwilling
to give in to efforts to punish it.
"I think it's a demonstration of
their defiance and rejection of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874,
for one thing, and to demonstrate their military power capabilities to
any potential adversaries" as well as potential customers for its weapons,
said Daniel Pinkston, a Seoul-based analyst for the International Crisis
Group think tank.
Pinkston also said that there was "certainly a political
aspect connected" to the launches and that July 4 was perhaps a "symbolic
date," suggesting the timing was not a coincidence.
Resolution 1874,
which was approved last month and which condemned the North's nuclear
test, was the third to be passed by the U.N. Security Council against
the country since 2006. All three ban North Korea from launching ballistic
missiles.
A senior official in South Korea's presidential office said
that while the launches were part of military exercises, "North Korea
also appeared to have sent a message to the U.S.," though he did not elaborate.
Analysts have said North Korea's saber rattling is partially aimed at
pressuring Washington to engage in direct negotiations. North Korea is
believed to desire diplomatic relations and a peace treaty to formally
end the 1950-53 Korean War.
Obama's administration has offered dialogue,
but it says North Korea must return to stalled international talks on
its denuclearization and stop engaging in what Washington sees as provocative
behavior threatening allies South Korea and Japan.
Paik Hak-soon,
an expert on North Korea at the Sejong Institute, a think tank near Seoul,
rejected the idea that the North chose July 4 to confront or annoy the
U.S. on its national day.
He said the launches were more likely a
warning to the international community against enforcing U.N. sanctions,
which call for searches of North Korean ships suspected of carrying banned
items, such as nuclear or missile parts.
He said North Korea will
continue to carry out more missile and nuclear tests in the future, as
long as relations with the U.S. and South Korea remain tense.
"The
structure of confrontation is there, intact," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Kwang-tae Kim, Jae-soon Chang in Seoul, Tomoko
A. Hosaka in Tokyo, Jill Lawless in London, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Mansur
Mirovalev in Moscow and Lara Jakes in Washington contributed to this report.
Source
yahoonews.
Site
provided by Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, July 3rd, 2009
WASHINGTON
- The U.S. military is tracking a ship from North Korea that may
be carrying illicit weapons, the first vessel monitored under
tougher new United Nations rules meant to rein in and punish the
communist government following a nuclear test, officials said
Thursday.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he has ordered
additional protections for Hawaii just in case North Korea launches
a long-range missile over the Pacific Ocean.
The suspect ship
could become a test case for interception of the North's ships
at sea, something the North has said it would consider an act
of war.
Officials said the U.S. is monitoring the voyage of
the North Korean-flagged Kang Nam, which left port in North Korea
on Wednesday. On Thursday, it was traveling in the Pacific Ocean
off the coast of China, two officials said on condition of anonymity
to discuss intelligence.
What the Kang Nam was carrying was
not known, but the ship has been involved in weapons proliferation,
one of the officials said.
The ship is among a group that is
watched regularly but is the only one believed to have cargo that
could potentially violate the U.N. resolution, the official said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen did not specifically
confirm that the U.S. was monitoring the ship when he was asked
about it at a Pentagon news conference Thursday.
"We intend
to vigorously enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution
1874 to include options, to include, certainly, hail and query,"
Mullen said. "If a vessel like this is queried and doesn't allow
a permissive search," he noted, it can be directed into port.
The Security Council resolution calls on all 192 U.N. member states
to inspect vessels on the high seas "if they have information
that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo" contains
banned weapons or material to make them, and if approval is given
by the country whose flag the ship sails under.
If the country
refuses to give approval, it must direct the vessel "to an appropriate
and convenient port for the required inspection by the local authorities."
The resolution does not authorize the use of force. But if a country
refuses to order a vessel to a port for inspection, it would be
in violation of the resolution and the country licensing the vessel
would face possible sanctions by the Security Council.
Gates,
speaking at the same news conference, said the Pentagon is concerned
about the possibility of a North Korean missile launch "in the
direction of Hawaii."
Gates told reporters at the Pentagon
he has sent the military's ground-based mobile missile system
to Hawaii, and positioned a radar system nearby. The Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense system is designed to shoot down ballistic
missiles in their last stage of flight.
"We are in a good position,
should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American
territory," Gates said.
A Japanese newspaper reported Thursday
that North Korea might fire its most advanced ballistic missile
toward Hawaii around the Fourth of July holiday.
A new missile
launch - though not expected to reach U.S. territory - would be
a brazen slap in the face of the international community, which
punished North Korea with new U.N. sanctions for conducting a
second nuclear test on May 25 in defiance of a U.N. ban.
North
Korea spurned the U.N. Security Council resolution with threats
of war and pledges to expand its nuclear bomb-making program.
The missile now being readied in the North is believed to be a
Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles and would be launched
from North Korea's Dongchang-ni site on the northwestern coast,
the Yomiuri newspaper said. It cited an analysis by Japan's Defense
Ministry and intelligence gathered by U.S. reconnaissance satellites.
-------------------------------------------
Also
The Fox news has leaned that ThatThe
latest tension follows a Japanese news report that
North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii
in early July.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the military is "watching"
that situation "very closely," and would have "some concerns"
if North Korea launched a missile in the direction of Hawaii.
But he expressed confidence in U.S. ability to handle such a launch.
Gates said he's directed the deployment of the Theater High Altitude
Area Defense, a mobile missile defense system used for knocking
down long- and medium-range missiles.
"The ground-based interceptors are clearly in a position to take
action. So, without telegraphing what we will do, I would just
say ... I think we are in a good position, should it become necessary,
to protect the American territory."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stayed mum on the suspect
ship at Thursday's press briefing, commenting generally on the
nature of the U.N. resolution.
"There are some specific actions that have to be taken by countries
who are near these ships, whose water these ships are in, ports
that they might be destined for that are all part of this process,"
Gibbs said. "The White House feels comfortable and confident that
we have an understanding of what this resolution does."
The
United Nations Security Council The UN Security Council passed
resolution 1874 regarding North Korea on June 12, 2009.
The
Security Council, Recalling its previous relevant resolutions,
including resolution 825 (1993), resolution 1540 (2004), resolution
1695 (2006), and, in particular, resolution 1718 (2006), as well
as the statements of its President of 6 October 2006 (S/PRST/2006/41)
and 13 April 2009 (S/PRST/2009/7),.
The
following UN Security council Resolution 1874 shows the detail
information click to see detail info: (UN
Security council Resolution 1874).
U.S.
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
Emphasis
Denuclearization North Korea
at The White House, Rose Garden
(June 16, 2009):
U.S., South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, and UN Security United
Together
Nuclear Test will DAMAGE
THE SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AND BEYOND THE GREEN WORLD"
A South
Korean protester carries a mock North Korean missile with portraits of
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during a rally against the North's nuclear
and missile programs in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 15, 2009. South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that the country's alliance
with the United States is key to resolving North Korea's nuclear and missile
threats, as a news report said the allies pinpointed 11 underground sites
in the North for a possible third atomic test
Sources:
Yahoo.com
WASHINGTON
- Declaring North Korea a "grave threat" to the world, President
Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged the U.S. and its allies will
aggressively enforce fresh international penalties against the
nuclear-armed nation and stop rewarding its leaders for repeated
provocations.
In a display of unity with South Korea's leader, Obama said
the world must break a pattern in which North Korea puts the
globe on edge, only to put itself in line for concessions if
it holds out long enough.
"We are more than willing to engage in negotiations to get North
Korea on a path of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors,
and we want to encourage their prosperity," Obama said in the
Rose Garden alongside South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
"But belligerent, provocative behavior that threatens neighbors
will be met with significant and serious enforcement of sanctions
that are in place."
Obama's comments came at a time of intensifying concern, with
the North stepping up its bomb-making activities and threatening
war against any country that blockades its ships. Pentagon officials
warned on Tuesday that North Korea's missiles could strike the
U.S. within three years if its weapons growth goes unchecked.
Emboldened by fresh assurances of protection by the United States,
Lee went even further in warning that North Korea's tactics
will not be tolerated. Asked if he felt his country was under
the threat of attack from the North, Lee said his country's
alliance with the U.S. will "prevent anything from happening."
He said of the North Koreans, "They will think twice about taking
any measures that they will regret."
Defiantly pursuing its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has posed
a major foreign policy challenge for Obama. However, the new
president has found support from the international community,
including a swift resolution of sanctions imposed by the U.N.
Security Council just last week.
The new punishments toughen an arms embargo against North Korea
and authorize ship searches in an attempt to thwart the Koreans'
nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The U.N., however, did
not authorize military force to enforce the measures.
North Korea provoked that rebuke by conducting its second nuclear
test on May 25, following recent missile launches that had already
alarmed the world.
Beyond enforcement of the new U.N. penalties, Lee said he and
Obama agreed on something more _ a push for other new policies
that will "effectively persuade North Korea to irrevocably dismantle
all their nuclear weapons programs." The South Korean leader
said those measures will be discussed among the five nations
that had been working with North Korea on disarmament until
talks stalled: the U.S., South Korea, Japan, Russia and China.
He did not elaborate, and the White House had no comment on
the matter.
North Korea has bargained with other countries for more than
a decade about giving up its nuclear program, gaining such concessions
as energy and economic aid, and then reneging.
The North is thought to have enough weaponized plutonium for
at least half a dozen atomic bombs and is believed to be preparing
for another nuclear test. Deepening the crisis, it responded
to the new sanctions by promising to "weaponize" all its plutonium
and step up its nuclear bomb-making by enriching uranium _ the
first time it had acknowledged it had such a program. Both plutonium
and uranium can be used to make atomic bombs.
With all that as a backdrop, Lee's treatment at the White House
was meant to underscore solidarity at a perilous time.
The South Korean president was the first foreign leader in Obama's
nearly five-month-old presidency to get the honor of a joint
appearance in the Rose Garden. He spoke repeatedly of his nation's
firm partnership with the United States and thanked the American
people "for their selfless sacrifice in defending my country
and its people." Obama said the friendship was anchored in democratic
values, and then he turned his words on the country's northern
neighbor.
"North Korea has abandoned its own commitments and violated
international law," Obama said. "Its nuclear and ballistic missile
programs post a grave threat to peace and security of Asia and
to the world."
Obama said that North Korea's record of threatening other countries
and spreading nuclear technology around the world means it should
not be recognized as a legitimate nuclear power.
At a missile defense hearing on Capitol Hill, Deputy Defense
Secretary William Lynn pointed to North Korea's recent steps
to speed up its long-range weapons program and agreed with Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., that the U.S. should be prepared for a
"worst-case scenario."
"We think it ultimately could _ if taken to its conclusion _
it could present a threat to the homeland," Lynn said at a Senate
Armed Services Committee hearing.
At the Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell declined
to say when interdiction operations might begin under the new
U.N. sanctions, but he said the U.S. already has enough ships
and other resources in the region to do the job. Morrell was
asked what the point of the activity would be _ and whether
it was only a half-measure _ as long as there was no authority
to forcibly board Korean ships.
"I think if the world is in agreement that we are all going
to monitor and then attempt to compliantly board and attempt
to then direct those ships into a port where they can then be
inspected, that is real progress," he said. "That is more than
what we were doing before."
___
Associated Press writers Robert Burns, Pauline Jelinek, Lara
Jakes and Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.
-------------------------------
According
to the FAS report, there are reportedly as many as 22 nuclear
facilities in 18 locations in North Korea. These include uranium
mines, refinery plants, nuclear fuel plants, nuclear reactors,
reprocessing facilities, and research facilities.
FAS
statement shows that the North Korea has atomic energy research
centers in Yongbyon and Sunchon and a atomic power plant in
Sinpo. Nuclear weapons development organs include the Atomic
Energy Department of Kim Il-song University; the Physics Department
of Kanggye Defense College; the metal science department under
the Chemical Department of and the physics Research Institute
of Pyongsong College of Science; the college of physics in Yongbyon
atomic research center; and uranium mines in Kusong in North
Pyongan province, an unidentified place in North Hwanghae province,
and Sunchon in South Pyongan province. Natural uranium has been
processed near the cities of Sunchon and Pyongsan since the
1960's.
Recent
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Press Release shows
that International Nuclear Safety Experts Conclude IAEA Peer
Review of Canada´s Regulatory System. An international team
of nuclear safety experts today completed a two-week IAEA review
of the regulatory framework and effectiveness of the Canadian
Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The team identified good practices
within the system and gave advice on some areas for improvement.
The IAEA has conveyed initial findings to Canadian authorities;
the final report will be submitted by autumn.
The
IAEA is the world´s center of cooperation in the nuclear field.
It was set up as the world´s "Atoms for Peace" organization
in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with
its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote
safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.
The
IAEA works for the safe, secure and peaceful
uses of nuclear science and technology. Its key roles contribute
to international peace and security, and to the
World's Millennium Goals for social, economic and environmental
development.
The
IAEA is the world's nuclear inspectorate, with more than four
decades of verification experience.
Inspectors work to verify that safeguarded
nuclear material and activities are not used
for military purposes. The Agency is additionally responsible
for the nuclear file in Iraq as mandated by the UN Security
Council.
The
IAEA helps countries to upgrade nuclear safety
and security, and to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Work is keyed to international conventions, standards and expert
guidance. The main aim is to protect people and the environment
from harmful radiation exposure.
The
IAEA also helps countries mobilize peaceful applications of
nuclear science and technology.
The work contributes to goals of sustainable development in
fields of energy, environment, health, and agriculture, among
others, and to cooperation in key areas of nuclear science and
technology.
The
IAEA's programmes encourage the development of the peaceful
applications of nuclear technology, provide international safeguards
against its misuse, and facilitate the application of safety
measures in its use. The organization and its Director General,
Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
announced on 7 October 2005.
North
Korea warns of nuclear war amid rising tensions
Nuclear Test will DAMAGE
THE SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AND BEYOND THE GREEN WORLD"
The
vote on Resolution 1874, United States Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo
said that North Korea chose a path of provocation, and now they
must face the consequences.
"United States welcomes the strong and united response to
North Korea’s nuclear test, and is committed to implementing the
provisions outlined by the Security Council"
According
to SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's communist regime has warned of a
nuclear war on the Korean peninsula while vowing to step up its atomic
bomb-making program in defiance of new U.N. sanctions.
The
North's defiance presents a growing diplomatic headache for President
Barack Obama as he prepares for talks Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart
on the North's missile and nuclear programs.
A
commentary Sunday in the North's the main state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper,
carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, claimed the U.S. has
1,000 nuclear weapons in South Korea. Another commentary published Saturday
in the state-run Tongil Sinbo weekly claimed the U.S. has been deploying
a vast amount of nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan.
North Korea "is completely within the range of U.S. nuclear attack and
the Korean peninsula is becoming an area where the chances of a nuclear
war are the highest in the world," the Tongil Sinbo commentary said.
Kim Yong-kyu, a spokesman at the U.S. military command in Seoul, called
the latest accusation "baseless," saying Washington has no nuclear bombs
in South Korea. U.S. tactical nuclear weapons were removed from South
Korea in 1991 as part of arms reductions following the Cold War.
On Saturday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened war on any country
that dared to stop its ships on the high seas under the new sanctions
approved by the U.N. Security Council on Friday as punishment for the
North's latest nuclear test.
It is not clear if the statements are simply rhetorical. Still, they are
a huge setback for international attempts to rein in North Korea's nuclear
ambitions following its second nuclear test on May 25. It first tested
a nuclear device in 2006.
In its Saturday's statement, North Korea said it has been enriching uranium
to provide fuel for its light-water reactor. It was the first public acknowledgment
the North is running a uranium enrichment program in addition to its known
plutonium-based program. The two radioactive materials are key ingredients
in making atomic bombs.
On Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported South Korea and the U.S. have mobilized
spy satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and human intelligence networks
to obtain evidence that the North has been running a uranium enrichment
program.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said it cannot confirm the report. The
National Intelligence Service - South Korea's main spy agency - was not
available for comment.
North Korea said more than one-third of 8,000 spent fuel rods in its possession
has been reprocessed and all the plutonium extracted would be used to
make atomic bombs. The country could harvest 13-18 pounds (6-8 kilograms)
of plutonium - enough to make at least one nuclear bomb - if all the rods
are reprocessed.
In addition, North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least
half a dozen atomic bombs.
North Korea says its nuclear program is a deterrent against the U.S.,
which it routinely accuses of plotting to topple its regime. Washington,
which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has repeatedly said it has no
such intention.
The new U.N. sanctions are aimed at depriving the North of the financing
used to build its rogue nuclear program. The resolution also authorized
searches of North Korean ships suspected of transporting illicit ballistic
missile and nuclear materials.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the new U.N. penalties
provide the necessary tools to help check North Korea's continued pursuit
of nuclear weapons.
The sanctions show that "North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and
the capacity to deliver those weapons through missiles is not going to
be accepted by the neighbors as well as the greater international community,"
Clinton said Saturday at a news conference in Canada.
The
United Nations Security Council sent a clear and united message on June
12, 2009, when they voted unanimously to tighten sanctions on North Korea
following the nation’s recent nuclear test and missile firings. The
detonation on May 25 of the suspected nuclear device violated the 1953
armistice.
U.N.
Resolution 1874 includes a number of measures aimed at stopping North
Korea’s nuclear proliferation, including tougher inspections of cargo,
an expanded arms embargo, and new financial restrictions on North Korea,
curbing loans and money transfers that serve as funding for their nuclear
program.
The vote on Resolution 1874, United States Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo
said that North Korea chose a path of provocation, and now they must face
the consequences. "United
States welcomes the strong and united response to North Korea’s nuclear
test, and is committed to implementing the provisions outlined by the
Security Council" said United States Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo.
Sources:
Yahoo.com
The
White House
Reported
by catch4all.com, Sandra Englund
North
Korea celebrates the Nuclear Tests
North
Korea Nuclear Tests Reaction
THE
WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May
25, 2009
STATEMENT
BY THE PRESIDENT
Today,
North Korea said that it has conducted a nuclear test in violation of
international law. It appears to also have attempted a short range missile
launch. These actions, while not a surprise given its statements and
actions to date, are a matter of grave concern to all nations. North
Korea's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic
missile program, constitute a threat to international peace and security.
By
acting in blatant defiance of the United Nations Security Council, North
Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community.
North Korea's behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in
Northeast Asia. Such provocation will only serve to deepen North Korea's
isolation. It will not find international acceptance unless it abandons
its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action
by the international community. We have been and will continue working
with our allies and partners in the Six-Party Talks as well as other
members of the U.N. Security Council in the days ahead.
