North Korea Threatens Military Action

North Korea warned on Thursday that it would take military countermeasures as it refused to accept South Korea’s phone message urging the North to adhere to the bilateral nonaggression agreement.

In its message sent from Lt. Gen. Kim Yong Chol, the North’s chief representative to the inter-Korean military talks, North Korea said, “We will take military countermeasures, as we have already declared.” The message also said, “The South’s message sent yesterday is nothing but an excuse.”

After discussing the issue with related ministries including the Unification Ministry, South Korea`s Defense Ministry decided not to respond to Pyongyang’s phone message.

Regarding the message sent to the South, the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday, “The South’s authorities will never be free of their sole responsibilities in causing the halt of North-South dialogue and suspension of passage (through the border)."

While receiving a report on military personnel movement at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee Myung-bak said, “Since the new government took office, North Korea has raised tension in inter-Korean relations. But, I don’t think the current tension will deepen. I believe the two Koreas should resume inter-Korean dialogue and strengthen their cooperation.”

Lee stressed, “The new government believes that the two Koreas should talk with each other wholeheartedly, instead of taking strategic approaches.”

He added, “North Korea should not stick to its past practices. Certainly, South Korea has tried to find new approaches. They should consider global trends when dealing with each other. Only then, they can help each other.”