Pentagon officials announced upcoming major exercises with South Korea near the Korean peninsula – on defeating submarines and stopping ship suspected of smuggling nuclear material or equipment.
The submarine aspect is timely because North Korea is accused of sinking a South Korean ship with a homing torpedo fired from a sub. The Cheonan was attacked on March 26th, and 46 South Korean sailors were killed in the incident.
President Lee Myung-bak announced South Korea is cutting nearly all trade ties with Pyongyang, closing shipping lanes to North Korean merchant ships, and is planning to ask the UN Security Council to punish the North.
“North Korea will pay a price that corresponds to its provocative acts. I will continue to take stern measures to hold the North accountable,” President Lee said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveling in China expressed support for President Lee’s actions.
“This is a highly precarious situation that the North Koreans have caused in the region and it is one that every country that neighbors or is in proximity to North Korea understands must be contained,” Clinton said.
Clinton is also trying to secure Chinese support for UN Security Council sanctions, but it is not clear if Beijing will get on board.
“The Chinese understand the reaction by the South Koreans, and they also understand our unique responsibility for the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” the Secretary of State said.
At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said there must be some measures taken, and it is the responsibility of the international community to address the issue properly.
As a South Korean, this attack is also personal.
“This is most troubling to me to see what’s happening in the Korean Peninsula… that’s my motherland,” said the Secretary-General.