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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Seoul to Change Rules of Engagement with N. Korea | |
| 2010-11-27 | |
The main focus is the five islands in the West Sea close to the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border. "This type of provocation [by North Korea] can happen again at any time. We must strengthen our alert, especially in the West Sea area," President Lee Myung-bak said in an emergency meeting with top security and economic officials. "Vulnerable areas like the five West Sea islands must be thoroughly prepared with the latest equipment to counter localized provocations and asymmetric warfare threats." The government decided to overhaul its military rules of engagement, which had been designed to prevent an escalation in fighting, to focus on repulsing attacks. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Hong Sang-pyo told reporters, "We will amend the rules of engagement to shift the parameters in dealing with North Korea's provocations." South Korea will also drastically bolster ground forces and will put the priority on reflecting these steps in next year's budget. A plan by the previous administration to cut the number of marines on the five islands has been scrapped and troops and equipment will be increased. Lee and his ministers stressed the need to avoid further civilian casualties like those in Tuesday's attack. Seoul cannot expect North Korea to abide by international rules that make it imperative to avoid civilian casualties, so the rules of engagement will be changed to differentiate between responses to attacks on military and civilian targets. The existing rules of engagement deal only with combat between troops. One set of measures will aim to guarantee the safety of residents on the five West Sea islands. Seoul will also reconsider humaritarian aid to North Korea. A Cheong Wa Dae official said, "There is now considerable skepticism about the need for humanitarian assistance for a country that attacked our civilians." | |
| Posted by:Steve White |