Seoul "is on military
readiness posture," said South Korea's Blue House spokeswoman Kim Haeng
in a briefing. She said national security chief Kim Jang-soo also based
the assessment on North Korea's hint to foreign diplomats in Pyongyang
to send personnel out of the country.
The Blue House is the office and residence of South Korea's president, similar to the White House in the United States.
"As of now, nothing out
of the ordinary has been detected," Haeng said on Kim's behalf. "If
limited war is to break out, North Korea should bear in mind that it
will receive damages many times over."
In the rising tide of its
anger, North Korea's communist government days ago banned the entry of
new workers and trucks into Kaesong, which is on its side of the
militarily fortified border with the south.
Personnel and supplies
are running out in the shared manufacturing zone, causing 13 companies
to cease production, the South Korean Unification Ministry said in a
statement Sunday.
There are 518 people left in Kaesong with 39 planning to exit Monday.
Scare tactic bluster
Pyongyang's warpath posturing is a scare tactic, Kim said via his spokeswoman.
"North Korea has been
coming out with content that makes headlines on news media every day.
This is called the 'headline strategy'."
It is designed to warp public opinion, he said.
Kim also said not to be
fooled by the South's calm reaction to it. "A duck will appear peaceful
on the surface, but its feet are moving breathlessly under the water,"
he said, describing the Blue House's behavior.
Underneath the calm, Seoul's government is working "restlessly" but "harmoniously."
The South will not
succumb to scare tactics and rush into any new peace agreements to stop
the North's conduct, he added. He admonished North Korea to open up a
different kind of dialogue.
The Korean war ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty.
Pyongyang has
consistently demanded a full peace treaty, and it also wants direct
talks with the United States, which Washington has resisted, preferring
instead multilateral discussions.
Missile test put off
The United States is
delaying a long-planned missile test to avoid any misperceptions by
North Korea amid mounting tensions, a senior U.S. Department of Defense
official said Saturday.
Postponing the launch of
the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, initially
scheduled for Tuesday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, was
"prudent and wise," said the official, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The missile test had
nothing to do with North Korea, but the United States decided to hold
off "given recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula," the official said.
"The U.S. will conduct
another test soon and remains strongly committed to our nuclear
deterrence capabilities," said the official, who was not authorized to
publicly release details of the launch.
Embassies staying put
Word of the launch delay
comes amid bellicose posturing and threats that have grown more
dramatic by the day on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's
warning to foreign diplomats in Pyongyang that if war breaks out, it
cannot guarantee their safety.
On Friday, officials met
with ambassadors to ask whether they needed help evacuating their
personnel, several diplomatic missions said.
The same concern apparently does not extend to foreign tourists.
Amanda Carr, who works
for a British travel company, wrapped up a pleasure tour Saturday of
North Korea with a group of 20 tourists. Before leaving the country,
they were able to take in a rally in Pyongyang.
The British Embassy in
North Korea gave her company, Koryo Tours, some guidance in light of the
international tensions. "We've been advised to continue with the
tours," Carr said.
Her North Korean
partners -- from the state's travel agency -- continue to accept
tourists, she said. And their demeanor is friendly toward them, as it
always has been.
Russia, a traditional
ally of North Korea, may consider an evacuation of staff because of the
tensions, Russian state media said.
The Swedish Embassy will
remain open as well. It represents the concerns of the United States in
North Korea and helps its citizens traveling there.
British, French and German diplomats also have no immediate plans to leave.
Meanwhile, U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Asia next week where he is
expected to discuss potential diplomatic incentives for North Korea once
it stops its threatening rhetoric, senior administration officials told
CNN on condition of anonymity.
"Secretary Kerry agrees
that we have to have a robust deterrent because we really don't' know
what these guys will do," said one senior official, who was not
authorized to speak on the issue.
"But he also knows that the North Koreans need a diplomatic off-ramp and that they have to be able to see it."
Missile tension
New reports of missile movements in North Korea have triggered military counteractions by South Korea and the United States.
South Korea's
semiofficial Yonhap news agency reported the missiles were ready to
launch, citing military sources in Seoul. They are probably Musudan
missiles, U.S. officials said. They would have a 2,500-mile range and
could threaten South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.
It is believed a North Korean missile launch would be a "test" launch rather than a targeted strike.
A U.S. official told CNN
that two medium-range missiles have been loaded onto mobile launchers
on the east coast of North Korea, but a second U.S. official said
intelligence on that is not definitive. Both officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly speak
on the issue.
In response, South Korea
has sent Aegis destroyers equipped with advanced radar systems to both
of its coasts, Yonhap said, citing navy sources.
The United States will
deploy missile defense systems to Guam, a Western Pacific territory that
is home to U.S. naval and air bases. North Korea has cited those bases
when listing possible targets for missile attacks.
Post a Comment