South Korea's navy today staged anti-submarine drills in tense waters bordering North Korea amid signs that China, under pressure from regional powers, is reviewing ties with the isolated communist state.
The naval exercise is aimed at better detecting intrusions by North Korean submarines after a team of investigators, including experts from the United States and Sweden, accused the North of firing a torpedo that sank a South Korean warship, killing 46.
The drills, which also come after the South's military upgraded its alert level, are likely to further anger Pyongyang, which has already cuts most ties with Seoul after it sanctioned the hermit state for sinking the Cheonan corvette.
The North has threatened to shut the last road link with the South if Seoul resumes loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across their heavily armed border. It has warned of war if the South went ahead with sanctions announced this week.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton kept up pressure on Pyonyang yesterday during a visit to Seoul when she described the sinking of the Cheonan as an “unacceptable provocation”, and said the rest of the world had to respond.
“This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond,” Ms Clinton said after her meeting with South Korean leaders. She said the incident, one of the South’s worst military disasters since the Korean War, required a “strong but measured response”.
In her efforts to avoid the situation sliding into open conflict, Ms Clinton was particularly keen to enlist China’s help in resolving the issue. Beijing has sound relations with both Koreas.
“There is a different path for North Korea, and we believe it’s in everyone’s interest, including China, to make a persuasive case for North Korea to change direction,” she told reporters in Seoul.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin discussed the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at a meeting in Beijing yesterday. "Minister Yang said everyone needed wise heads and cool heads on this issue," said Mr Martin in an interview with The Irish Times.
Mounting antagonism between the two Koreas has unnerved investors, worried the bitter rivalry could spill over into conflict. Traders said the issue continue to hang over the market though it is no longer driving prices down as it did early in the week. The won looked set to end a five-day losing streak as investors saw its recent downturn as overdone.
Reuters