|
 Park said anti-North propaganda broadcasts would continue unless
Pyongyang took responsibility for landmine explosions early this
month that wounded two South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries.
North Korea denies it laid the mines. Seoul and Pyongyang have
remained technically in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean war
ended in a truce, rather than a peace treaty.
The landmine blasts escalated into a crisis that saw both sides
exchange artillery fire on Thursday and ramp up their military
readiness. The United Nations, the United States and the North's
lone major ally, China, have all called for calm.
While North Korea often makes threats, prompting tough talk from the
South, the two sides have always stopped short of a return to war,
although dozens of soldiers have been killed over the years.
Analysts expect current tensions eventually to ease.
 "We need a clear apology and measures to prevent a recurrence of
these provocations and tense situations," Park told a meeting with
her top aides, according to a statement released by her office.
"Otherwise, this government will take appropriate steps and continue
loudspeaker broadcasts."
Seoul and Washington were reviewing the possibility of bringing in
"strategic" U.S. military assets, South Korean Defence Ministry
spokesman Kim Min-seok said, without elaborating.
Two years ago, North Korea threatened military action in response to
annual exercises by U.S. and South Korean forces, leading to a
standoff during which U.S. stealth bombers flew over South Korea and
an aircraft carrier was sent to the area.
"Our position at this point is to deter the North's provocation,"
Kim told a news briefing. "But if they wage provocation, our
response will be merciless and they will truly feel sorry."
Reclusive North Korea had deployed twice the usual artillery
strength at the border and had around 50 submarines away from base,
the South's defense ministry said.
North Korea's state media has also kept up its anti-South rhetoric
as the inter-Korean talks continued at the Panmunjom truce village
inside the DMZ. Its KCNA news agency said 1 million young people had
volunteered to join or rejoin the army, an assertion impossible to
verify due to the North's isolation.
Park cited a story on Monday that two South Korean soldiers had
delayed their discharges and South Korea's army said about 50
soldiers had taken the same step. Park's approval rating rose to 41
percent in a Realmeter poll conducted last week.
 "I think that kind of patriotism can protect our country, setting an
example for young people," she said.
Despite the tensions, daily life proceeded largely as normal on
Monday in South Korea.
However, at the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Complex just north of
the border that is the last meaningful vestige of the two Koreas'
first summit meeting 15 years ago, South Korean officials have
limited entry only to those directly involved in factory operations
in recent days.
[to top of second column] |
MARATHON TALKS
The negotiations began on Saturday evening, shortly after North
Korea's deadline passed for Seoul to halt the anti-Pyongyang
propaganda broadcasts or face military action. They broke up before
dawn on Sunday and restarted that afternoon.
Chung Young-chul, a North Korea expert at Sogang University's
Graduate School of Public Policy in Seoul, said Park's strong words
may indicate a lack of progress, although other observers said the
unusual length of the talks bodes well.
"I am not really optimistic about the talks because they both have
heavy demands that can't be dropped," Chung said.
"It seems difficult to get any agreement and I think they are
locking horns and tension will persist for a while."
Park's national security adviser, Kim Kwan-jin, and Unification
Minister Hong Yong-pyo are representing the South in the talks.
Hwang Pyong So, the top military aide to the North's leader, Kim
Jong Un, and Kim Yang Gon, a veteran North Korean official in
inter-Korean affairs, are representing Pyongyang.
Ties have been virtually frozen since the 2010 sinking of a South
Korean warship, which Seoul has blamed on a North Korean submarine.
Pyongyang denies responsibility.
Days after the landmine incident, Seoul began its propaganda
broadcasts in random three-hour bursts from 11 banks of
loudspeakers, including news reports and K-pop music from the South,
resuming a tactic both sides halted in 2004.
The crisis escalated on Thursday when the North fired four shells
into the South, according to Seoul, which responded with a barrage
of 29 artillery rounds. North Korea declared a "quasi-state of war"
in front-line areas and set an ultimatum for Seoul to halt its
broadcasts.
That deadline passed on Saturday without incident.
The United States, which has 28,500 soldiers based in South Korea,
is conducting annual military exercises with the South. Pyongyang
condemns the maneuvers as preparation for war.
(Additional reporting by James Pearson; Writing by Tony Munroe;
Editing by Dean Yates and Paul Tait)
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