NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA EXCHANGE ROCKET FIRE.

Breaking News...

North Korea fired rockets at an Island belonging to S. Korea, several landed in the Sea, but some landed on the Island, injuring Soldiers, South Korea
retaliated........let"s hope this doesn"t escalate.

South Korea is on high alert, says it will not tolerate any more action from North Korea, China has warned North Korea against any more aggression.

South Korean protesters demanding a harder line against neighbouring North Korea have on Saturday scuffled with police outside the defence ministry in the capital, Seoul.

The demonstrators, former members of the "Underwater Demolition Team," set off fire extinguishers and waved sticks as they called on the government to take action after four people were killed as a result of North Korea shelling of Yeonpyeong island, near the disputed Yellow Sea maritime border.

"We can not help expressing our anger about the behaviour of the defence ministry and the government in general that failed to take due retaliatory action," they said.

Elsewhere in the city on Saturday, about 1,000 Marine veterans gathered, burning a North Korean flag along with a picture of Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean leader, and his son Kim Jong-un.

"We cannot tolerate North Korea's barbarous provocation any more. We ex-Marines will lead the rally to show our decisiveness to punish North Korea. That's why we are here," Ahn seung-choon, a protest leader, said.

Lee Kwang-Sun, a retired Marine, said that the veterans were prepared to return to active duty if their nation called on them.

"We are ready to rush to the frontline if we are asked to do so," he told the AFP news agency.

'Nationalist feeling'

Two Marines stationed on Yeonpyeong were among those killed after scores of North Korean shells rained down on the tiny island on Tuesday. Dignitaries and relatives paid tribute to Sergeant Seo Jeong-woo and Private Moon Gwang-wuk as they were laid to rest on Saturday.

"There is a lot of nationalism now on the streets, particularly here in Seoul," Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas, reporting from the South Korean capital, said.

"The South Korean government has faced a lot of criticism for what many people see as their lacklustre performance in terms of retaliating for the North Korean attack.

"On the other hand there is also a large section of South Korea's population who think this all getting much too heated. What they want want is for the government to find another more peaceful way to re-engage with North Korea."

South Korea's Marine commander on Saturday vowed "thousand-fold" revenge on North Korea for the deadly bombardment of the island.

"All Marines, including Marines on service and reserve Marines, will avenge the two at any cost, keeping today's anger and hostility in mind," Lieutenant General Yoo Nak Joon said.

"We will put our feelings of rage and animosity in our bones and take our revenge on North Korea."

South Korea is preparing for joint military manoeuvres with the US beginning on Sunday. The US is sending a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korean waters for the military drills in the Yellow Sea.

Military 'provocation'

The North, which sees the drills as a major military provocation, unleashed its anger over the planned exercises in a dispatch on Friday.


The two Marines killed in the shelling were laid
to rest on Saturday [Reuters]

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war," a statement in the North's official Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea's army and people are "now greatly enraged" and "getting fully ready to give a shower of dreadful fire," it said.

China, which has been urged to use its influence over North Korea to calm the situation, has also criticised the planned war games, prompting the US to state they were "not directed at Beijing".

"The Chinese government was informed of our intent to conduct this naval exercise in the areas west of the Korean Peninsula," said Pentagon spokesman Darryn James.

"It is important to point out that this exercise is not directed at China. As with previous exercises in this series, these operations are defensive in nature and designed to strengthen deterrence against North Korea," he said.

Pyongyang has blamed Seoul for Tuesday's exchange of artillery fire, saying that it responded to South Korean shelling. South Korea's military has acknowledged it was carrying out live-fire exercises in the area, but says they were not aimed in North Korea's direction.


Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

It"s looking quite serious now!!!!

looks like internal struggles inside north korea. be interesting to see how china plays this one.

Marky wrote:looks like internal struggles inside north korea. be interesting to see how china plays this one.

China did make a Statement the other day denouncing the bombing but is not taking sides. America on the other hand is sending a warship to support
S. Korea, could it be a plot by the U.S. to overthrow the N. Korean Government?

Panda wrote:

Marky wrote:looks like internal struggles inside north korea. be interesting to see how china plays this one.

China did make a Statement the other day denouncing the bombing but is not taking sides. America on the other hand is sending a warship to support S. Korea, could it be a plot by the U.S. to overthrow the N. Korean Government?

hmmm, don't know but north korea is a thorn in the sides of both china and the US as it's so unpredictable at times. my guess is that if things did come close to the wire then china would step in. they have bigger fish to fry and north korea won't be allowed to mess with that.

Marky wrote:

Panda wrote:

Marky wrote:looks like internal struggles inside north korea. be interesting to see how china plays this one.

China did make a Statement the other day denouncing the bombing but is not taking sides. America on the other hand is sending a warship to support S. Korea, could it be a plot by the U.S. to overthrow the N. Korean Government?

hmmm, don't know but north korea is a thorn in the sides of both china and the US and it's so unpredictable at times. my guess is that if things did come close to the wire then china would step in. they have bigger fish to fry and north korea won't be allowed to mess with that.

North Korea is a very poor Country because all of it"s Wealth has been spent on Arms and creating a massive Defence force. No one really knows how far they have progressed with their Nuclear programme and that is the danger. N. Korea has an ailing leader and a young heir apparent who is not at all
wise in the affairs of State and he may be more willing to do Business with the outside World. Let"s hope common sense prevails in the end.

Sky News are reporting the sound of Gunfire on the Island, presumably in retaliation to the U.S. /South Korea "excersise " at Sea. I just hope the U.S.
don"t go too far.

"China sent a senior official, state councillor Dai Bingguo, to Seoul on Saturday for talks with foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported". I think China will be the Mediator and take a more diplomatic approach, something the Americans have never been able to do
with their gung ho approach.

Breaking News.

South Korea has been staging a Civilian evacuation drill because of the North Korean bombing last month. Television clips show the
people, masked, running down to underground shelters........is this because they know something we don"t? The Americans are
prepared to help S.K. in their usual gung ho style but China, while denouncing the attack is trying the Diplomatic approach.

Breaking news.

South Korea performing Firing live Artillery Drill off the Coast of the Island North Korea fired on. North Korea now well pleased.

Breaking News (sky)


North Korea has threatened to launch a "sacred war" against South Korea as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula.
The threat from the North comes amid South Korea's largest ever live-fire military exercises are held near the heavily fortified border.

North Korea says it is ready to launch the "sacred war", accusing South Korea of exacerbating tensions on the peninsula.

The North's state media reports that defence chief Kim Yong Chun made the remarks during a national meeting in the capital of Pyongyang.

The Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying that North Korea is "fully prepared to launch a sacred war" because South Korea is deliberately pushing the peninsula to the brink of a war.

The North, which has actively pursued a covert atomic programme also noted it has nuclear capabilities.

North Korea's anger has been piqued by South Korea's staging of military drills near a front-line island Pyongyang attacked last month.

Earlier in the week, however, North Korea said it would not deign to respond to the provocation.

More information follows...

THERE HAS RECENTLY BEEN ANOTHER LOT OF ROCKET FIRE BETWEEN THE 2 KOREAS,SOME ARE SAYING IT COULD BE WAR.