President vows to take self-defense measures

24.05.10 12:28

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President vows to take self-defense

measures

2010-05-24 12:01

President Lee Myung-bak said on Monday that his government will “immediately exercise its

right of self-defense” if North Korea violates its territory again, as he announced a set of

countermeasures against the North which sank a South Korean warship in March.

“From now on, the Republic of Korea will not tolerate any provocative act by the North and

will maintain the principle of proactive deterrence,” Lee said during a televised address to the

nation.

　

President Lee Myung-bak addresses to the nation on Monday. (Yonhap News)

"If our territorial waters, airspace or territory are militarily violated, we will immediately exercise our

right of self-defense.”

Lee defined the Cheonan’s sinking as “a surprise North Korean torpedo attack,” saying that it

“constitutes a military provocation against the ROK.”

Noting that the North has never officially admitted the crimes they committed such as the bombing

attack against the presidential delegation at the Aung San Martyr’s Mausoleum in Myanmar and the

bombing in midair of Korean Air Flight 858 during the Cold War era, Lee said this time was no

different. Pyongyang has claimed that Seoul fabricated the sinking of the Cheonan.

"We have always tolerated North Korea’s brutality, time and again. We did so because we have

always had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the president said.

“But now things are different. North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts. I

will continue to take stern measures to hold the North accountable.”

Lee announced several punitive actions against the North including the prohibition of North Korean

vessels’ passage through South Korean waters and suspension of inter-Korean trade and exchange.

“From this moment, no North Korean ship will be allowed to make passage through any of the

shipping lanes in the waters under our control, which has been allowed by the Inter-Korean

Agreement on Maritime Transportation,” he said.

“The sea routes meant for inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation must never again be used for

armed provocations.”

Lee mentioned the killing of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean armed guard at the Mount

Geumgang resort in 2008, the North’s recent confiscation of South Korean assets at the resort and the

sinking of the Cheonan which killed 46 South Korean sailors as he announced the suspension of inter-

Korean trade and exchange.

“Under these circumstances, any inter-Korean trade or other cooperative activity is meaningless,” he

said.

Lee added, however, that Seoul will continue to provide assistance for children in North Korea.

“Matters pertaining to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex will be duly considered, taking its unique

characteristics into consideration,” he said.

Lee urged North Korean authorities to apologize immediately to the ROK and the international

community, and to immediately punish those who are responsible for and those who were involved in

the sinking of the Cheonan.

“These are basic measures that the North has to take before anything else. If the North continues to

make excuses and wild assertions as it has always done in the past, they will not find any place to

stand in the world,” he said.

Lee also stressed that the North’s military provocation against the Cheonan on March 26 violated the

Charter of the United Nations and contravened the existing agreements reached for the sake of peace

and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the Basic

Agreement between South and North Korea.

“In close consultations with the nations concerned, the government will refer this matter to the U.N.

Security Council, so that the international community can join us in holding the North accountable,”

he said.

“Many countries around the world have expressed their full support for our position.”

Addressing South Koreans and “our compatriots in North Korea,” Lee said “the overriding goal of the

ROK is not military confrontation.”

“Our goal has always been the attainment of real peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Our

goal is to bring about prosperity for all Koreans,” he said.

“Our vision is to realize the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”

Lee also criticized the North for refusing to open up and make efforts to improve the welfare of its

people, adding that he is “truly ashamed” as a compatriot.

“Nothing has changed over the last sixty years. It is a country still holding on to an empty ambition of

forcefully reuniting the Korean Peninsula under the banner of communism,” he said.

“It is a country that still believes in making threats and committing terrorist activities. North Korea’s

goal is to instigate division and conflict. For what reason and for whom is it doing what it does?”

Lee urged the North to “look at the reality and make that courageous decision,” referring to

international demands for its denuclearization in exchange for economic aid.

“The Korean Peninsula must not be left standing as the danger zone in Northeast Asia,” he said.

“The two Koreas must take the initiative and resolve this problem. The peninsula must become a new

cradle of world peace.”

Admitting the mistakes made by the South Korean Armed Forces, Lee said his government will

“solidify national security readiness.”

“The discipline of the Armed Forces will be reestablished, military reform efforts will be expedited

and combat capabilities will be reinforced drastically,” he said.

“ROK-U.S. joint combat readiness will be further strengthened on the basis of the strong ROK-U.S.

alliance.”

During a joint press conference later in the morning, the ministers of unification, foreign affairs and

defense spoke about Seoul’s specific countermeasures in detail.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said South Korea will hold anti-proliferation drills against North

Korea, joint submarine exercises with the U.S. and resume anti-Pyongyang psychological warfare.

The ROK Navy will hold a naval blockade drill in the second half of this year and take part in another

naval drill with Australia in September.

Unification Minister Hyun In-taek announced the all-out prohibition of North Korean vessels’

operation and docking in South Korean waters including the Jeju Strait, and suspension of inter-

Korean trade.

Hyun also said Seoul will ban South Koreans’ visits to all areas in North Korea except for the joint

venture in Gaeseong and limit their contact with North Koreans.

He also announced the prohibition of new investments and expansion of investment in existing

projects in North Korea, while continuing production activities in Gaeseong.

Cross border aid programs will be generally deferred with the exception of aid for infants and children

in North Korea, Hyun said.

As for the joint industrial park in Gaeseong, Hyun said Seoul “will not tolerate any harm done by the

North to the safety of South Korean citizens.”

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldm.com)