N.Korea torpedoed S.Korean warship

[chobolan]

May 20, 2010

SINKING OF S.KOREAN SHIP
N.Korea torpedoed warship

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Agiant offshore crane salvages the bow section of the South Korean naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeong Island, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP

SEOUL - A TORPEDO fired by a North Korean submarine sank a South Korean warship with the loss of 46 lives, investigators said on Thursday. 'The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine,' the multinational team said in its report on the March 26 sinking near the disputed inter-Korean border. 'There is no other plausible explanation.'

Torpedo parts salvaged from the Yellow Sea 'perfectly match' a type of torpedo which North Korea has offered for export, the report said. A marking in Korea's Hangeul script was found on one recovered section, and matched markings on a stray North Korean torpedo recovered by the South seven years ago. The communist North overnight again denied involvement in the attack, the worst cross-border provocation since the downing of a South Korean airliner in 1987 with the loss of 115 lives.

It said the South was using the 'fiction' as an excuse to push cross-border relations towards catastrophe. But the investigators, including experts from the United States, Australia, Britain and Sweden, laid out apparently damning evidence of its involvement. The ship was split apart and sank due to a shockwave and bubble effect produced by the underwater explosion of a 250kg homing North Korean torpedo, the report said.

It said torpedo parts recovered by a dredging ship on May 15th - including the propellers, propulsion motor and a steering section - 'perfectly match the schematics of the CHT-02D torpedo included in introductory brochures provided to foreign countries by North Korea for export purposes'. The report said the North has about 70 submarines and torpedoes of various capabilities. It said the attack was likely carried out by a small submarine. -- AFP

 

[chobolan]

North Korean torpedo sank South Korean warship, say investigators


North Korean torpedo sank South Korean warship, say investigators
Posted: 21 May 2010 0416 hrs
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An South Korean investigator of the sunken Cheonan talks next to torpedo parts salvaged from the Yellow Sea. </td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td class="update"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>
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SEOUL: South Korea accused North Korea on Thursday of torpedoing a warship near their disputed border, sending regional tensions rising as the North responded with threats of war. The South's President Lee Myung-Bak promised "resolute countermeasures" after a multinational investigation team said there was overwhelming evidence a North Korean submarine sank the ship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives.

The United States, Britain, Australia, Japan and France strongly condemned Pyongyang. But China, whose backing would be crucial in any attempt to penalise the North, appealed for restraint and did not criticise its ally. The North said the investigators' report was based on "sheer fabrication" and threatened "all-out war" in response to any attempt to punish it. "The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine," the investigators said in a report. "There is no other plausible explanation."

The White House called the attack "a challenge to international peace and security and a violation of the armistice agreement" which ended the 1950-53 war. The State Department called the attack "unprovoked" and warned Pyongyang there would "definitely be consequences". British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned a "callous act" while Japan said the North's action was "unforgivable" and soured hopes of restarting six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon described the facts in the report as deeply troubling while NATO said North Korea's action "constitutes a clear breach of international law." France offered South Korea "full solidarity" and called on North Korea "to abandon the path of murderous violence." The sinking caused outrage in South Korea, which declared five days of national mourning last month. Cross-border relations, which have been frosty for months, went into a deep chill.

But Seoul has apparently ruled out a military counter-strike for fear of igniting all-out war and is instead likely to ask the United Nations Security Council to slap new sanctions on its neighbour. This would need agreement from China, a veto-wielding member. "All parties should stay calm and exercise restraint," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in Beijing, adding that China would be making its own assessment of the investigation results.

Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told reporters that "we would like China to take concerted action as much as possible." President Lee told Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in a phone conversation: "Resolute countermeasures will be taken against North Korea." South Korea, through strong international cooperation, "should make North Korea admit its wrongdoing and return as a responsible member of the international community", added Lee, whose National Security Council will meet on Friday to weigh its reaction.

The sinking of the Cheonan near the Yellow Sea frontier flashpoint was the worst inter-Korean incident since the North's downing of a South Korean airliner in 1987 with the loss of 115 lives. But Kim Yong-Hyun, of Seoul's Dongguk University, said the South has "not that many effective options" for a response if China fails to support UN action. The 1,200-tonne corvette was split apart by a shockwave and bubble effect produced by a 250 kilogramme homing North Korean torpedo, the report said.

It said parts salvaged from the Yellow Sea "perfectly match" a type of torpedo that the North has offered for export and at a press conference investigators showed evidence that included torpedo parts with two propellers. The report said the attack was likely carried out by a small submarine which infiltrated from international waters to avoid detection. "We confirmed that a few small submarines and a mother ship supporting them left a North Korean naval base in the West (Yellow) Sea 2-3 days prior to the attack and returned to port 2-3 days after the attack," the report said.

The North's top organ, the National Defence Commission, said it would send its own investigators to the South to check the purported evidence. "Our army and people will promptly react to any 'punishment' and 'retaliation' and to any 'sanctions' infringing upon our state interests with various forms of tough measures including an all-out war," the North said. It threatened in future to respond to any small border incident with a "merciless strong physical blow". - AFP/de

 

[lauhumku]

Former South Korean soldiers tear a North Korean flag during a rally against Pyongyang in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul. South Korea accused North Korea of firing a torpedo that sank a naval warship in March, killing 46 sailors. - AP

 

[chobolan]

N.Korea 'will pay the price'


May 22, 2010
SINKING OF S.KOREAN SHIP
N.Korea 'will pay the price'


SEOUL - THE United States and South Korea vowed on Friday to make North Korea pay the price for torpedoing a warship in March, as international anger grew over the attack which claimed 46 lives. In Tokyo, visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was 'important to send a clear message to North Korea that provocative actions have consequences'.

Seoul Defence Minister Kim Tae Young, a day after investigators reported overwhelming evidence that a North Korean submarine sank the South Korean corvette, said: 'North Korea surpassed the limits and for such an act we will make it pay.'

At the start of an Asian tour that later on Friday took her to Shanghai, ahead of planned stops in Beijing and Seoul, Clinton said she and Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada agreed the North must end its belligerence towards neighbours. 'We cannot allow this attack to go unanswered by the international community,' she said, adding she looks forward to 'intensive consultations in China'.

The attack on the Cheonan near the disputed border with the North on March 26 sparked outrage and grief in South Korea, but Seoul has apparently ruled out any military counterstrike for fear of triggering full-scale war.

'This incident is so serious and grave an issue that we must be very cautious and prudent in handling it,' said President Lee Myung Bak after convening his first National Security Council meeting in almost a year. Seoul is engaged in hectic diplomacy to win support for its bid to refer Pyongyang to the United Nations Security Council for punishment.

The communist North, for the second time in two days, denied involvement and accused Seoul of faking the evidence. It has threatened 'all-out war' in response to any attempt to punish it. China, the North's ally and a veto-wielding Security Council member, would have to support or abstain in any move to tighten sanctions further. Unlike Western nations and Japan, Beijing has so far failed to condemn the North for the attack and merely called for restraint by all sides. -- AFP

 

[SwineHunter]

US military to help S.Korea


May 24, 2010

TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULAR
US military to help S.Korea

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A multinational team investigating the March 26 sinking of Cheonan said a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine was to blame. -- PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON - US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has ordered the US military to work closely with South Korea 'to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression,' the White House said early on Monday. 'US support for South Korea's defence is unequivocal, and the president has directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression,' White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a written statement.

'We will build on an already strong foundation of excellent cooperation between our militaries and explore further enhancements to our joint posture on the peninsula as part of our ongoing dialogue.' The White House assured Seoul it can continue to count on the full backing of the United States. The administration said it endorsed President Lee Myung Bak's demand that 'North Korea immediately apologise and punish those responsible for the attack, and, most importantly, stop its belligerent and threatening behavior.'

Mr Lee said on Monday that South Korea would no longer tolerate the North's 'brutality' and said the repressive communist regime would pay for the surprise March 26 torpedo attack that that killed 46 South Korean sailors. He also vowed to cut off all trade with the North and take Pyongyang to the UN Security Council for punishment over the sinking of the warship Cheonan. The attack was South Korea's worst military disaster since the Korean War. Speaking earlier in Beijing, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the North must be held accountable and she is pushing to get the support of China, North Korea's top ally, for diplomatic action. -- AFP, AP

 

[SwineHunter]

North Korea to open fire


May 24, 2010

TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULAR
North Korea to open fire

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The broadcasts would be resumed in response to the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March. -- PHOTO: AP

SEOUL - NORTH Korea's military said on Monday it would open fire at any South Korean loudspeakers broadcasting propaganda across the border if Seoul follows through on its pledge to install them. The South's Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young said the broadcasts, suspended since 2004, would be resumed in response to the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March. It was part of a package of measures announced by Seoul after an official investigation concluded last week that the North had sunk the ship with a torpedo on March 26.

The North has denied involvement in the sinking which cost 46 lives and threatened 'all-out war' in response to any punitive measures. Its military said in a statement that propaganda slogans had already appeared on the South's side of the border, and the South's military was moving to set up the loudspeakers. In a statement on Pyongyang's official news agency, the North's military called the alleged actions a 'serious military provocation'.

'If (South Korea) sets up new tools for psychological warfare such as loudspeakers and leaves slogans for psychological warfare intact, ignoring our demands, we will directly aim and open fire to destroy them,' the statement said. The two sides agreed six years ago to halt official cross-border propaganda, although the North frequently complains strongly about private Seoul groups which launch anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the tightly guarded frontier. -- AFP

 

[SwineHunter]

Seoul acts on Pyongyang


May 24, 2010

SINKING OF S.KOREAN WARSHIP
Seoul acts on Pyongyang

<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> Military reform to quicken

* President Lee Myung Bak vowed to speed up reform of his own military and 'drastically' strengthen its combat capabilities. He said that joint combat readiness between South Korean and US forces would be further strengthened.

* In a strongly worded speech, he described the attack as the latest in a series of armed provocations since the end of the war.'Once again, North Korea violently shattered our peace,' he said.The president said the South in the past had repeatedly tolerated the North's 'brutality", citing a 1983 bombing in Myanmar aimed at Seoul's then-president and the downing of a South Korean airliner in 1987.'But now things are different. North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts.' Mr Lee urged the North's regime immediately to apologise for the attack and punish those responsible.

* He contrasted the South's dramatic economic development with the situation in the impoverished and isolated North.'It is a country that still believes in making threats and committing terrorist activities. North Korea's goal is to instigate division and conflict,' Mr Lee said, calling on the regime to change its mindset. -- AFP

South korea will cut trade links with North Korea after Pyongyang torpedoed a warship, President Lee Myung Bak (above) said on Monday, warning that Seoul will immediately defend itself against any future attacks. --PHOTO: AP

SEOUL - SOUTH KOREA will cut trade links with North Korea after Pyongyang torpedoed a warship, President Lee Myung Bak said on Monday, warning that Seoul will immediately defend itself against any future attacks. Mr Lee also said North Korean merchant ships would be banned from using the South's shipping lanes and confirmed that Seoul would refer the March 26 attack to the United Nations Security Council.

'From now on, (South) Korea will not tolerate any provocative act by the North and will maintain the principle of proactive deterrence,' the president said in a nationally televised speech. 'If our territorial waters, airspace or territory are violated, we will immediately exercise our right of self-defence.' A multinational investigation team said last Thursday there was overwhelming evidence that a North Korean submarine fired a heavy torpedo to sink a 1,200-tonne corvette near the disputed border with the loss of 46 lives.

Numerous Western nations and Japan have condemned the attack, seen as one of the worst provocations since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. But the North's ally China has so far only called on all sides to show restraint.A solemn-faced Mr Lee said trade and exchanges between the two sides would be suspended since any cooperation was 'meaningless' under present circumstances. However, he exempted the jointly run Kaesong industrial estate just north of the border, and humanitarian aid for the North's children, from the cut-off. -- AFP

 

[SwineHunter]

US, China must act on N.Korea


May 24, 2010

TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULAR
US, China must act on N.Korea

<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> BEIJING - US SECRETARY of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged China on Monday to work with the United States to coordinate a response to the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea. Opening two days of high-level US-China talks in Beijing, Clinton said North Korea must be held to account for the incident, which international investigators have determined was caused by a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine. China is North Korea's main ally and has thus far remained neutral on the investigation.

In Seoul, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said his country will take the case to the UN Security Council on Monday. US officials say they have more work to do to convince China that North Korea was responsible for the ship sinking. Mrs Clinton called the situation with North Korea a 'matter of urgent concern.' 'Today, we face another serious challenge provoked by the sinking of the South Korean ship. So we must work together ... to address this challenge and advance our shared objectives of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula,' she said.

'We ask North Korea to stop its provocative behavior, halt its policy of threats and belligerence toward its neighbors and take irreversible steps to fulfill its denuclearisation commitments and comply with international law,' Mrs Clinton said. She also called on China to continue work with the United States and other members of the UN Security Council to draft new sanctions on Iran to press it to come clean on its nuclear program. She said 'the burden is on Iran' to prove its nuclear program is peaceful and avert fresh penalties here.' -- AP

 

[M.Bison]

N.Korea declares combat alert over warship probe


N.Korea declares combat alert over warship probe
Posted: 25 May 2010 1255 hrs
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The wreckage of the salvaged South Korean warship that sank near the maritime border with North Korea, killing 46 </td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td class="update"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>
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SEOUL : North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il ordered troops and civil organisations on combat alert after South Korea accused his country of sinking a warship, a defector group said Tuesday.

Seoul-based North Korea Intellectual Solidarity (NKIS) said the alert order was issued last Thursday evening, the day a multinational investigation team in Seoul announced its findings into the sinking of the Cheonan on March 26.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it was checking the report by the defector group. The North denies involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan with the loss of 46 lives. It says the allegations are a plot by the United States and South Korea to spark conflict.

The communist state has threatened "all-out war" in response to any moves to punish it. NKIS said vice minister of national defence O Kuk-Ryol announced through a fixed radio channel that Kim had ordered a combat alert.

"America and South Korea are in a frenzy for revenge against us by linking us to the Cheonan incident. This is a conspiracy by America, Japan and South Korea to isolate us and kill us," NKIS quoted the minister as saying, citing a source in the North.

The source was quoted as saying that the ruling party ordered organisations to stage mass rallies under the slogan "Revenge for revenge, war for war". Security service members and reservists were told to wear uniform to raise their spirits, the source said.

Kim Dae-Sung, a leader of NKIS, said it was exceptional for uniforms to be worn and for Kim to order a combat alert for members of the public. "Our sources said people are feeling insecure due to the broadcast," he told AFP. - AFP/jy

 

[chobolan]

World must act on N.Korea


May 26, 2010
World must act on N.Korea

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Mrs Clinton said the United States would be consulting with South Korea and members of the UN Security Council on what the appropriate action would be, but she declined to offer a timeline for action. -- PHOTO: AFP

<!-- story content : start --> SEOUL - US SECRETARY of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Wednesday the world must respond to the sinking of a South Korean warship that has been blamed on North Korea. 'This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond,' Mrs Clinton told reporters after talks with South Korean leaders. The ship sinking 'requires a strong but measured response,' she said, although she did not elaborate.

Mrs Clinton said the United States would be consulting with South Korea and members of the UN Security Council on what the appropriate action would be, but she declined to offer a timeline for action. 'We're very confident in the South Korean leadership, and their decision about how and when to move forward is one that we respect and will support,' she said. She spent just a few hours in Seoul discussing possible international responses with South Korean leaders.

North Korea denies it was responsible for the incident and has threatened to retaliate if action is taken against it. Mrs Clinton touched down in the South Korean capital on Wednesday after intense discussions on the deteriorating situation with Chinese officials in Beijing. 'I believe that the Chinese understand the seriousness of this issue and are willing to listen to the concerns expressed by both South Korea and the United States,' she said on Wednesday. Mrs Clinton called the investigation into the sinking, which killed 46 sailors, 'very thorough, highly professional' and 'very convincing.' -- AP

 

[chobolan]

May 26, 2010

IN PICTURES
Korean tensions

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The tit-for-tat actions marked a new high in tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula after the March sinking of the Cheonan, which Seoul blames on a torpedo fired by the North. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL - NORTH Korea said on Tuesday it was severing all ties with South Korea and cutting communications links in protest at claims that it had torpedoed one of Seoul's warships. Seoul on Monday announced a package of reprisals, including a halt in most trade. It plans to refer the sinking to the United Nations Security Council. Here are some images, from the recovery of the Cheonan, to the rising tensions along the borders.

 

[chobolan]

Portion of the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan is salvaged off Baengnyeong Island, South Korea. An explosion from a N.Korean torpedo left 46 sailors dead. -- PHOTO: AP

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A part of the sunken South Korean naval vessel Cheonan is lifted by a giant crane off Baengnyeong island. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

South Korean Navy's Ship Salvage Unit members on rubber boats return from search for survivors from the sunken South Korean navy ship near South Korea's Baengnyeong Island. -- PHOTO: AP



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[chobolan]

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Family

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Family members of one of the deceased sailors from the sunken South Korean naval vessel Cheonan cry as they look at a portrait during a memorial service at the Second Fleet Command of Navy in Pyeongtaek. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

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South Korean marines throw wreaths into the water on Baengnyeong island to honour the 46 sailors killed. -- PHOTO: AFP
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[chobolan]

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South Korean mourners leave after the memorial ceremony for the deceased sailors from the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan during a memorial service at Seoul City Hall Plaza in Seoul. -- PHOTO: AP

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South Korean President Lee Myung Bak salutes in front of portraits of the deceased sailors from the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan. -- PHOTO: AP

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South Korean soldiers check speakers, which were used to broadcast propaganda toward North Korea, during a photo opportunity at a guard post near the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating South Korea from the North. South Korea said on Monday it will resume psychological warfare along the DMZ. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said North Korea would pay the price for sinking a South Korean naval ship and that the South would invoke its right to defend itself if Pyongyang waged aggression again. -- PHOTO: REUTERS



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[chobolan]

Army soldiers of North Korea, left, and South Korea, foreground, stand guard at each side at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP

North Korean soldiers patrol a river on a military vessel near the North Korean border. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

South Korean artillery soldiers take positions during an exercise against possible North Korean attacks, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, near the DMZ between the two Koreas. South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts into North Korea in response to a deadly torpedo attack that sank a South Korean warship, officials said on Tuesday, amid a report that North Korea's leader ordered troops to be ready for combat. -- PHOTO: AP




​

 

[chobolan]

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South Korean K1 tanks conduct an exercise to prepare for a possible surprise attack by North Korea, near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP

South Korean soldiers patrol along the military fence near the DMZ separating South Korea from North Korea in Yanggu. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said North Korea would pay the price for sinking a South Korean naval ship and that the South would invoke its right to defend itself if Pyongyang waged aggression again. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

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South Korean soldiers conduct a military drill near the DMZ separating South Korea from North Korea in Yanggu. -- REUTERS



​

 

[chobolan]

South Korean activists burn a North Korean flag with a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as police spray fire extinguisher during a rally against the North near the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP

South Korean activists burn a North Korean flag with a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as North Korean defectors shout slogans during a rally against the North near the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. -- PHOTO: AP

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North Korean women stand on the banks of a river near a North Korean border town. -- PHOTO: REUTERS



​

 

[whoami]

Twice, the North attacked the South resulting in human casualties. Yet the North went scot free. Bet if North happen to be Iran or any Islamic states, Uncle Sam/Nato/China sure invade the latter!

 

[M.Bison]

Russia sends experts to South


May 27, 2010
Russia sends experts to South

MOSCOW - RUSSIA will send a team of experts to South Korea to study the results of an international probe into the sinking of one of Seoul's warships, allegedly by North Korea, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. The weeks-long multinational probe into the sinking of a South Korean corvette on March 26 found overwhelming evidence that a North Korean submarine torpedoed the boat, leaving 46 sailors dead.

The North says the South faked evidence of its involvement and has threatened 'all-out war' in response to any punitive moves. 'The Russian president, based on a proposal from the leaders of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), has decided to send to that country a group of highly qualified Russian specialists to study in detail the results of the investigation and the evidence gathered,' the Kremlin said.

President Dmitry Medvedev 'considers it extremely important to establish the precise reason for the loss of the ship and to reveal accurately who is personally responsible for the events,' it said in a statement. Once responsibility was established, 'the measures judged necessary and adequate by the international community must be taken,' it said. Mr Medvedev also reiterated a call for restraint on all sides to prevent a rise in tensions 'and to maintain peace, security and stability on the Korean peninsula and the whole region,' the statement said. -- AFP

 

[chobolan]

Japan acts against N.Korea


May 28, 2010

KOREAN TENSIONS
Japan acts against N.Korea

TOKYO - JAPAN decided on Friday to tighten financial sanctions against North Korea over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March, chief government spokesman Hirofumi Hirano said. The cabinet decided to lower the cap at which people in Japan will have to report remittances to North Korea 'from more than 10 million yen to three million yen (about S$154,000 to S$46,000),' Mr Hirano said. 'Today the cabinet approved the additional measures against North Korea,' Mr Hirano told reporters. -- AFP