| Submit your comments on this article |
| China-Japan-Koreas |
| S. Korea deploys more weapons to border regions |
| 2014-10-13 |
| SEOUL -- The South Korean military said Monday it has deployed additional weapons to islands near the tense western maritime border to better deal with North Korea's growing threats. The disputed sea border remains a powder keg with the two Koreas fighting bloody battles there in 1999, 2002 and 2009. Drawn by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the NLL acts as the de facto sea border between the two Koreas, but Pyongyang does not recognize the border. "To strengthen preparedness against the North's surprise attacks on and occupation of border islands in the Yellow Sea, (the military) has additionally dispatched Chiron Man missiles and armored vehicles in the regions," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a report, citing the country's portable surface-to-air missiles. "The military devised a timetable on how to respond to North Korea's possible provocations after the reassessment of its recent military buildup and attack patterns," the JCS said, without elaborating further. To deter possible North Korea's provocations in case of South Korean civic groups' anti-Pyongyang campaign, the Seoul military "has maintained a tight readiness posture and equipped its front-line units with 155-millimeter self-propelled artillery to replace 105mm towed ones," the JCS noted. With a goal to deter North Korea's provocations "in a pre-emptive and proactive fashion and to ensure victory at an early stage," the military has stepped up surveillance "in a closer cooperation with the United States," it added. |
| Posted by:Steve White |