South Korea demands ‘price’ from North Korea

Seoul : South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on Monday demanded that North Korea must “pay the price” for its “inhumane” artillery attack on his countrymen, a latest demand that ignored a call from China to start diplomacy to end the crisis.

” I can not help expressing my anger over the North Korean regime’s cruelty that ignores even the lives of children,” Lee said in a nationally televised address since Pyongyang’s forces launched artillery attacks six days ago killing two civilians and two marines and setting homes ablaze on a South Korean border island.

“I will make sure we make the North pay the price for any provocations,” Lee said.

The President, in his seven-minute address, did mention anything to China’s proposal to start diplomatic talks to ease the tension.

South Koreans now know “that any more tolerance and patience will only fan bigger provocations”, he said.

“The North’s provocation this time is in a different level than before,” Lee said. “Making a military attack on civilians is an inhumane crime banned even during wartime. Now is the time to take actions rather than speaking 100 words.”

China on Sunday called for “emergency consultations” on the crisis.

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea began Monday, the second day of their biggest-ever naval exercise, despite opposition from North Korea.

China offered for talks to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula, as North Korea moved its surface-to-surface missiles on launchpads in the Yellow Sea and the US and South Korea began a naval drill on its troubled waters.

China urged six-party talks (including the US, Japan and Russia) at the earliest possible in Dec.

Responding to it Seoul and Tokyo said they would “study” the proposal.