06/17/2011, 00.00
KOREA
Send to a friend

Seoul deploys missiles near the DMZ

The missiles have a range of about 160 kilometres and can be used for defensive and offensive purposes. Some analysts see it as a return to the two Koreas’ war of nerves after Pyongyang’s military provocations last November.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The South Korean government of conservative President Lee Myung-bak has decided to deploy tactical surface-to-surface missiles to frontline area near the Demilitarised Zone. The forward deployment heralds a return to a war of nerves between Seoul and Pyongyang, which previous South Korean administrations had tried to abandon.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the deployment is a response to last November attack by North Korea against a South Korean-held island that killed four South Koreans.

Many analysts saw the action as an attempt by Kim Jong-un, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il’s third son and heir, to assert himself.

South Korean Defence sources neither confirmed nor denied the report. However, in recent months South Korean authorities have indicated that they would meet the North’s provocations with a hard response.

The missiles have a range of about 160 kilometres and can be used for defensive and offensive purposes.
TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang rise as Cold War fears cast a shadow over Korea
12/02/2016 15:14
Pyongyang removes 636 mines on border, protests South Korea-US exercises
12/11/2018 13:18
Intra-Korean talks, a sign of Pyongyang’s desperation
08/02/2011
Troops exchange fire in DMZ, raising tensions between the two Koreas
29/10/2010
No breakthroughs at North-South military talks
30/09/2010


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”