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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.