| By Seo Soo-min
Staff Reporter
The Defense Ministry yesterday condemned the North Korean military for ratcheting up tensions on the Korean peninsula through a series of military actions since last month and urged it to act in a more ``prudent and responsible manner’’ in the future.
``The North Korean military has been creating tension on the Korean peninsula through a series of military activities since a KPA (Korean People’s Army) fighter aircraft violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL) on Feb. 20, 2003,’’ ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hwang Young-soo said.
``In particular, the threatening flight around a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft, which was conducting a routine mission in international air on March 2, caused a dangerous situation where a military clash could have occurred,’’ he added.
Such tension building maneuvers, the spokesman warned, ``not only undermine the South Korean government and international community’s efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korea nuclear issue, but may also have serious consequences on the security of the Korean peninsula.’’
The Defense Ministry’s statement was the first warning to the North Korean military since President Roh Moo-hyun took office on Feb. 25.
The ministry also issued a stern warning to the North on Feb. 20 after the North Korean aircraft violated the NLL.
Pyongyang’s escalation of military tensions continued with the test-fire of a surface-to-ship missile into the East Sea on Feb. 24, the eve of Roh’s inauguration.
Hwang said the government formulated the statement at a meeting of security-related ministers held at Chong Wa Dae Thursday ``to preventive similar mishaps in the future.’’
The statement, however, may serve the dual purpose of proving to Washington Seoul’s commitment to their alliance in light of the incident.
After the March 2 reconnaissance flight buzzing, South Korea refrained from commenting, as the incident involved American and North Korean planes over international waters.
The lack of response, at a time when experts say Seoul-Washington ties are at an all-time low, led U.S. officials to complain about the lukewarm support of its ally, sources said.
The rift deepened after Roh was quoted by London’s The Times on Thursday as saying the event was ``predictable’’ due to heightened reconnaissance activities and urged the U.S. ``not to go too far.’’
At the Chong Wa Dae security meeting, Defense Minister Cho Young-kil reportedly proposed that Seoul issue the statement, albeit belatedly, stressing the need to reassure the U.S. | |
