North Korea, sensing weakness, is feeling her oats:
North Korea warned Friday that U.S.-South Korean plans for military maneuvers put the peninsula on the brink of war, and appeared to launch its own artillery drills within sight of an island it showered with a deadly barrage this week.
The fresh artillery blasts were especially defiant because they came as the U.S. commander in South Korea, Gen. Walter Sharp, toured the South Korean island to survey damage from Tuesday's hail of North Korean artillery fire that killed four people.
None of the latest rounds hit the South's territory, and U.S. military officials said Sharp did not even hear the concussions, though residents on other parts of the island panicked and ran back to the air raid shelters where they huddled earlier in the week as white smoke rose from North Korean territory.
South Korea's response thus far:
On Thursday, the South's president ordered reinforcements for the 4,000 troops on Yeonpyeong and four other Yellow Sea islands, as well as top-level weaponry and upgraded rules of engagement.
He also sacked Defense Minister Kim Tae-young amid intense criticism that Yeonpyeong was unprepared for the attack and that the return fire came too slowly. Lee named former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Kim Kwan-jin to the post, the president's office announced Friday.
Lee, dressed in a black suit, visited a military hospital in Seongnam near Seoul Friday to pay his respects to the two marines killed in the North Korean attack.
Lee laid a white chrysanthemum, a traditional symbol of grief, on an altar, burned incense and bowed before framed photos of the two young men. Consoling sobbing family members, he vowed to build a stronger defense.
"I will make sure that this precious sacrifice will lay the foundation for the strong security of the Republic of Korea," he wrote in a condolence book, according to his office.
The U.S. response? Tepid:
Gen. Walter Sharp, the top commander of US forces in Korea, toured artillery-damaged areas on Yeonpyeong just hours before the North conducted its apparent training fire exercise.
"We and the United Nations command will investigate this completely and will call on North Korea to stop any future attacks," he said in an article by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., adding that the North had openly violated the armistice agreement signed at the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953.
I'm hoping for peace.... but showing weakness has and will lead to war.
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Comments (9)
North Korea, China and Russ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by oldpuppymax | November 26, 2010 11:39 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
North Korea, China and Russia know full well that Hussein's beliefs are far more sympathetic with their particular forms of government than with our Constitutional republic. This makes him the most dangerous occupant of the White House since Jimmuh Carter. Undoing the domestic and international damage this thug will have done in his 4 year tour of mayhem will require a monumental effort. Tragically, the RINO presidential aspirants currently in the offing will NOT have the guts or will to get it accomplished.
1. Posted by oldpuppymax | November 26, 2010 11:39 AM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 11:39
2. Posted by Mark W | November 26, 2010 11:40 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
I know that we don't want to provoke the North Koreans, but just exactly how much are we willing to tolerate? We know exactly where the artillery is located that was firing on South Korean territory, so why wasn't there any effort whatsoever to destroy that artillery?
2. Posted by Mark W | November 26, 2010 11:40 AM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 11:40
3. Posted by Michael | November 26, 2010 12:28 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Obama is all about weakness. The clown hasn't a clue.
3. Posted by Michael | November 26, 2010 12:28 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 12:28
4. Posted by GarandFan | November 26, 2010 12:38 PM | Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
A Mark points out, there isn't an artillery battery within striking distance of the south that has not been identified and targeted. The south has no excuse in their response. Counter-battery fire should have been immediate and intense.
If the south is relying on Barry for support, their about to find out what the Poles have already learned. "You're on your own - Barry is incapable of immediate response."
4. Posted by GarandFan | November 26, 2010 12:38 PM |
Score: 2 (4 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 12:38
5. Posted by 914 | November 26, 2010 1:03 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
If Barry is needed by SK, he can be found pandering for photo-ops in a soup kitchen. He is not available between 10pm and 3am. In those cases, should the need arise as in 30,000 US troops in peril, forward a message to the prompter.
5. Posted by 914 | November 26, 2010 1:03 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 13:03
6. Posted by Jeff | November 26, 2010 1:42 PM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
I think the fact that South Korea didn't fire back with more force says alot more about the support they expect from BHO than anything else ...
6. Posted by Jeff | November 26, 2010 1:42 PM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 13:42
7. Posted by John S | November 26, 2010 3:38 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Don't expect much from the administration. Hussein Hoover is playing basketball, and apparently he can't even do that without getting hurt. I think a simultaneous barrage of 2,000 lb bombs on every one of the "Little Leader's" official residences would get the point across.
7. Posted by John S | November 26, 2010 3:38 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 26, 2010 15:38
8. Posted by daniel rotter | November 27, 2010 7:44 AM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
"...apparently he can't do that without getting hurt."
Big deal, Bush 43 couldn't eat a pretzel without almost choking to death.
8. Posted by daniel rotter | November 27, 2010 7:44 AM |
Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on November 27, 2010 07:44
9. Posted by olsoljer | November 27, 2010 8:06 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
NO AMERICAN TROOPS IN NORTH KOREA but send all the remote controlled/preprogrammed explosive devices needed.
9. Posted by olsoljer | November 27, 2010 8:06 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 27, 2010 08:06