South Korean president Lee Myung-bak today labelled North Korea's artillery attack on a west coast island last week “a crime against humanity” and said the South would retaliate against any further provocation.
Lee, under pressure at home for his indecisive response to last week's attack, made his first address to the nation as US and South Korean war ships took part in military manoeuvres, prompting concern in regional power China and threats of all-out war from North Korea.
"North Korea will pay the price in the event of further provocations," Mr Lee said. "Attacking civilians militarily is an inhumane crime that is strictly forbidden in a time of war."
Clashes in disputed waters off the west coast are not uncommon, with dozens of sailors killed and warships sunk over the past 11 years, but Tuesday's attack was the first time a residential area was hit. Of the four killed, two were civilians.
The attack raised tensions on the peninsula to their highest level in at least two decades, but experts say they are unlikely to tip over into a full-scale war.
China has proposed emergency talks amid global pressure on Beijing to be more aggressive in helping resolve the standoff between the rival Koreas and try to rein in Pyongyang which depends on China for aid.
Washington and Tokyo were non-committal, saying they would consult with Seoul, which was sceptical of the proposal to sit down with North Korea, effectively rewarding it for bad behaviour.
The reclusive North was previously offered massive aid in return for disarmament pledges that went unmet.
A senior North Korean official also expressed scepticism about the Chinese call, Japan's Kyodo news agency said. North Korea has yet to issue an official response but the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said countries "responsible for (the latest standoff)" should first hold talks.
North Korea was typically defiant in a newspaper commentary today.
"The United States is making a mistake if it believes it can surprise anyone or put pressure by bringing in a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier," the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said. "We don't want war, but we are not afraid of one."
Agencies