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NORTH KOREA HAS warned of an “unpredictable” retaliatory strike against South Korea following a series of minor border skirmishes that have raised military tensions ahead of planned high-level talks.
Troops from the two sides exchanged small arms fire yesterday after South Korean troops fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol moving towards the military demarcation line that marks the border on the peninsula.
The North’s military warned in a message sent Monday through a border hotline that it would take “unpredictable measures” in retaliation for alleged provocations from South Korea, the South’s defence ministry said.
It also vowed to continue its patrol along the demarcation line, a ministry spokesman said, adding the South responded with a message expressing regret and warning North Korea against further provocations.
He said:
Our side clarified our position that we will sternly deal with further provocations by North Korea.
On October 7 North and South Korean naval vessels traded warning fire near the disputed Yellow Sea border.
Three days later border guards exchanged heavy machine-gun fire after the North tried to shoot down balloons launched over the land frontier with bundles of anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
The North has repeatedly urged the South to ban the leaflet launches organised by activist groups, but Seoul insists it has no legal grounds for doing so.
Last week the two Koreas held military talks to address the tensions but these ended without agreement.
The border incidents have jeopardised a decision — reached during a surprise visit to the South by a top-ranking North delegation earlier this month — to resume high-level talks suspended since February.
The South has proposed October 30 as a date for restarting the dialogue, and unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-Cheol told reporters Friday he still believes the talks will go ahead.
Because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a treaty, the two Koreas remain technically at war.
Despite its name, the Demilitarised Zone straddling the border bristles with watchtowers and landmines.
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Kim Jong-Un must be going cold turkey from the auld Mars bars…………..
Poor fella doesn’t know what he is at…..
Buisness as usual now that he’s over his Kim Jong-Illness.
Was Kim Jong Un-well?
Hahaha I sat here for ages trying to come up with one for kim il-sung but I’ve given up someone else will have to do it.
Same words different day………..
North Korea. That and North(ern) Ireland. Now there’s two norths I’m glad to be well away from.
Kim Jong Un loves to throw the rattle out of the buggy
Sabre rattling nothing more nothing less
I doubt very much that war will break out there again anytime soon.
War never ended there, that’s part of the problem. No peace accord was ever agreed between the two after the Korean War, so strikes by either side, usually the north, on the other are legitimate under international law rather than declarations of war.
Glen .. I would be more fearful of Obama pulling a false flag to spark off a conflict between them.
There is a ceasefire.
If war resumes the US will defend South Korea as that is part of the ceasefire.
Not only the US but the UN. 27 Countries were involved in defending South Korea during the war.
Mick Jordan, more the reason for a false flag, remember 9/11 brought a heap of NATO countries down on Iraq like a ton of bricks over a basis of a lie over chemical weapons. The same could well happen again to DPNK.
Nobody is biting Ablitive. Damn I just did.
There worse than two kids fighting in the playground
At least they keep to themselves and not war monger all over the world like others.
Don’t have much experience with war but I believe the “unpredictable” strikes are the best. Seriously what are they thinking, anyone with a map with North Korea on it should keep it as a souvenir because it won’t be there much longer!
Send in the RDF
“Lake of fire” etc. etc.
For jaysus sake
North Korea has nothing to loss, South Korea has everything to loss. The North is itching for war!
Maybe China will see sense and remove that nutjob from North korea. That said I just couldn’t see China allowing any “foreign power” to stroll into North Korea. Which is why this part of the world is so dangerous.
have your say