This is a developing story so I will be brief.
The US and Republic or Korea have announced their intention to conduct War Games off the coast of Koreas in response to the DPRK bombing of Yeonpyeong Island and the DPRK has warned that this could bring Korea "to the brink or war".
Serious business, more after the fold.
As reported by Bloomberg:
South Korea Girds for Show of Force With U.S. Ships After Attacks by North
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and four smaller warships begin exercises with South Korean vessels tomorrow in a show of force that North Korea warned will take the peninsula to the "brink of war."
The drills, to be held in the waters west of the Korean peninsula, follow North Korea’s Nov. 23 attack on a South Korean fishing community and military base that killed four people, including two civilians. Shells shattered windows of a school and set houses ablaze on Yeonpyeong island in a disputed area about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the North Korean mainland.
While the U.S. has called the drills "defensive in nature," Kim Jong Il’s regime warned that any infringement of North Korea’s sovereignty would spark another attack. Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan ordered the Cabinet yesterday to stay in Tokyo in case of "unexpected" developments
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"Escalated confrontation would lead to a war," a North Korean government agency in charge of relations with South Korea said in a statement on the state-run Korean Central News Agency. "Gone are the days when verbal warnings are served only."
Shipping was warned to avoid an area of the Yellow Sea parallel to China’s northeastern city of Qingdao while gunnery exercises take place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, according to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Qingdao lies about 615 kilometers west of Seoul.
The nuclear-powered USS George Washington, which holds about 85 aircraft and is served by a crew of 6,500, was last in waters off the Korean Peninsula in July as part of drills the U.S. announced after the Cheonan’s sinking.
China said at the time it was "firmly opposed" to any foreign military maneuvers that may threaten stability in the region. The Foreign Ministry yesterday warned against having the exercises in China’s "exclusive economic zone" without its authorization, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Pentagon reiterated that the U.S. military notified China of the planned exercise as it has in the past. "This exercise and the whole series of exercises is not directed at the Chinese," U.S. Navy Captain Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, said yesterday. "It’s designed to strengthen deterrence against North Korea."
:: snip ::
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi urged a prevention of a further escalation on the peninsula and vowed to "work toward easing the tension between the two Korean parties as well as resuming the six-party talks" during a telephone call today, according to an e-mailed statement from the Moscow-based ministry.
And The New York Time/AP
US and SKorea Push Ahead With War Games
YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea prepared for war games Sunday as South Koreans demanded vengeance over a deadly North Korean artillery bombardment that has raised fears of more clashes between the bitter rivals.
The North, meanwhile, worked to justify one of the worst attacks on South Korean territory since the 1950-53 Korean War. Four South Koreans, including two civilians, died after the North rained artillery on the small Yellow Sea island of Yeonpyeong, which is home to both fishing communities and military bases.
North Korea said civilians were used as a "human shield" around artillery positions and lashed out at what it called a "propaganda campaign" against Pyongyang.
It claimed the United States orchestrated last Tuesday's clash so that it could stage joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea with the South that include a U.S. nuclear powered supercarrier — enraging the North and making neighboring China uneasy.
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The (Yeonpyeong Island) attack laid bare weaknesses 60 years after the Korean War in South Korea's defenses against the North, which does not recognize the border drawn by the U.N. at the close of the conflict and which considers waters around Yeonpyeong as its territory.
The skirmish prompted President Lee Myung-bak to replace his defense minister on Friday.
At a funeral Saturday near Seoul, South Korea's marine commander, Maj. Gen. You Nak-jun, vowed a "thousand-fold" retaliation for the attack. Dignitaries and relatives laid white flowers at an altar for the two marines killed in the North's attack. The mother of one of the victims fell forward in her chair in grief.
:: snip ::
The war games starting Sunday and involving the USS George Washington supercarrier display resolve by Korean War allies Washington and Seoul to respond strongly to any future North Korean aggression. However, Washington has insisted the drills are routine and were planned well before last Tuesday's attack.
North Korea on Saturday warned of retaliatory attacks creating a "sea of fire" if its territory is violated.
:: snip ::
On Friday, the North conducted an apparent artillery drill within sight of Yeonpyeong island. The warning to Seoul and Washington came as the top U.S. commander in South Korea toured Yeonpyeong island to survey the wreckage from the rain of artillery three days earlier.
The North's artillery barrage Tuesday destroyed civilian homes as well as military bases on Yeonpyeong Island.
President Lee has ordered reinforcements for the 4,000 troops on Yeonpyeong and four other Yellow Sea islands, as well as top-level weaponry and upgraded rules of engagement.
The extent of the above quotes is a bit long but I think it should meet the test of fair use, however, if a moderator objects I will gladly shorten it.
I would not like to over-dramatize the situation but this is a complex and volatile situation that could have serious consequences for the Koreas, the US, China and Russia.
At the very least, there will be a diplomatic war of words that increases tension surrounding this situation and down-stream implications for the likely continued presence of US Warships in the region, a sensitive issue for the Koreas, China, Russia and Japan as recent events related to territorial disputes of long standing have come to the fore of regional politics and the perception of the US as having played a provocative role by reasserting it's military presence to further "strategic national interests" has hightened these disputes in recent months.
Obviously, as a resident of the region I hope this situation can be diffused as quickly as possible and that cooler heads prevail, but I cannot over emphasize the danger of the present situation given the unpredictable nature of the DPRK and the implicit hazard that the presence of nuclear weapons bring to the picture.
No doubt the Obama Administration has seriously considered the danger of this situation but I have to state that the assertiveness of the US in a military context over recent months has raised concerns about US policy initiatives in the region.
This is a dangerous game and has led to political brinkmanship, I hope it goes no further.
:: Update ::
I realize the last two paragraphs may lead to the conclusion I hold the US responsible for this situation. I do not. Clearly, the DPRK is the wildcard and unreliable actor of the region and their actions of the past week are to be condemned and are of concern to all. But I would like to say the recent policy initiatives of the US to reassert its military role in the region, certain intemperate remarks by Sec. Clinton (later moderated) and the insertion of the US is these disputes where it has traditionally taken a neutral position are something that ought to be reconsidered. Greater stress on diplomacy would be welcome.
:: Update 2 ::
Several people have questioned if this should be titled "Breaking" so I have removed that from the title. However, due to the recent turn of events and the volatile nature of this situation, I'll stick with the title as revised.