As previously announced, the South Korean military conducted live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong Island on December 20, three weeks after North Korea’s artillery attack on the South Korean border island. When the exercise started at 2:30 p.m., South Korea’s K-9 self-propelled howitzers fired dozens of shells. The military also mobilized 105 mm towed artillery guns and 81 mm mortars. The shells mostly fell on waters more than 10 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto inter-Korean maritime border. The South Korean military has regularly conducted shooting drills in the area. The Aegis destroyer Sejong the Great and F-15K fighter jets were forward deployed to guard against any possible attack from North Korea, while U.S. soldiers were also positioned on the island to support the exercise. The naval shooting drills were followed by Vulcan gun firings, a supplementary exercise against possible landing operations of the North Korean military. There had been rising concerns about the 94-minute long drills amid North Korea’s repeated threats of retaliatory strikes and the request by China and Russia to refrain from any action that could aggravate the situation. But Professor Jeon Bong-geun from the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security dismisses the concerns, since the regular drills are intended to safeguard South Korea’s territorial sovereignty.

South Korea went ahead with the live-fire artillery exercise, although some neighboring countries asked Seoul to stop the drills. It may seem South Korea insisted on having its own way, but the South simply staged its normal, legitimate, defensive and small-scale military drills that the nation has regularly conducted. That is, South Korea pushed for the scheduled military exercise, brushing aside unnecessary interventions from the neighboring countries. This isn’t simply a matter of relations with China and Russia. North Korea claims that the disputed West Sea area belongs as part of its territorial waters. Neither South Korea nor the international community can accept that. At least to dismiss the unreasonable claim, it was inevitable for South Korea to carry out its regular drills.

North Korea reportedly forward-deployed several artillery batteries along the West Sea and opened covers for its coastal artillery gun, but there was no visible movement in the North Korean military throughout the drills. In a statement released two and a half hours after the exercise, North Korea said that it did not feel any need to react to every ‘despicable military provocation’ from the South. A day before the exercise, however, the North repeated its warnings of a second and third retaliatory strike, of a possible full-scale war, and even of nuclear warfare. Why has North Korea become so sensitive about South Korea’s usual shooting drills?

North Korea’s increasingly aggressive attitude can be viewed in the context of the nation’s power transition. The North Korean leadership seeks to justify a power succession by demonstrating strength and to tighten a grip on its people using the outside tension. North Korea hopes to engage in dialogue with the U.S. For this purpose, the North has continuously pursued nuclear development and raised the need for ending the Korean War armistice. To carry out its point more effectively, North Korea brought up the issue of its nuclear development using uranium enrichment and deliberately increased military tension on the Korean Peninsula. The purpose is, of course, to highlight the instability of the armistice. Pyongyang believes a peace treaty with the U.S. will solve the problem. That is why the North continues to create tensions and crises.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council has convened an emergency meeting at the request of Russia to discuss the escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula. Russia presented a draft calling for restraint from both South and North Korea. However, the U.S., Japan and Britain confronted the proposal, insisting that North Korea, which is responsible for the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the artillery firing of Yeonpyeong Island, be denounced as the main culprit behind the regional tension. Most member nations agreed on this view, but the eight-and a half-hour marathon discussion eventually broke down due to China’s objections. After the conference, Russia once again urged South Korea to refrain from provocative acts and proposed to dispatch a U.N. special envoy to both South and North Korea. In fact, Russia had condemned North Korea for its artillery attack on the South Korean island. So, why did Moscow change its attitude abruptly?

Russia had taken a step back from Korean Peninsula issues until recently, but it suddenly began to intervene in regional diplomacy, saying the latest development on the Korean Peninsula will pose a serious threat to its own national interest. Using the Korea-related dispute, Russia now seeks to initiate active diplomacy in Northeast Asia. Moscow is rather exaggerating the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula, predicting that North Korea will certainly respond to South Korea’s military exercise. Russia seems to believe that it is responsible for addressing the regional security crisis as a member of the U.N. Security Council.

The U.S., in the meantime, continues to carefully monitor any suspicious movements in North Korea while keeping in close touch with South Korea. Foreign media outlets gave special attention to South Korea’s recent shooting drills. CNN explained the Northern Limit Line in detail as the source of North Korea’s military provocation on the West Sea, and offered a prediction about the situation in the future. Chinese media, on the other hand, expressed discontent about the resumed South Korean military drills, even as the Chinese proposal of restarting the six-party nuclear talks has yet to be accepted. As you see, the U.S. and Japan fully supported South Korea’s live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong Island while China and Russia were voicing objections, further deepening the confrontation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan versus North Korea, China and Russia.

A fierce diplomatic war is underway in the region. Both South and North Korea sent their respective officials to Russia recently to win over Moscow, while Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with leaders in the two Koreas. Conflict between China and the U.S. is serious, too. Inter-Korean issues, China-U.S. conflict, North Korea-U.S. relations and the tug-of-war between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan versus North Korea, China and Russia are entangled in this new, complicated Cold War framework. I think this structure will continue for the time being.

The South Korean military drills have ended, but tension is still lingering in this part of the world. South Korea should brace for any possible provocation from North Korea on the one hand and seek dialogue for a diplomatic solution to the security crisis on the other.



[Interview] S. Korean Citizens, N. Korean Defectors Volunteer to Deliver Coal Briquettes to Needy Neighbors The Gaemi Village, located on a hilltop in Hongje 3-dong in Seoul, resounds with the shouts of volunteers pulling handcarts. Despite the freezing weather, a long “human chain” is formed in this village, with people passing over black coal briquettes one by one. The collected briquettes are piled up in a store house. The delivery of coal briquettes is the second charity project for “Eokkaedongmu Volunteers,” a group consisting of North Korean defectors from four offices of the Hana Center in Seoul and local residents. The Hana Center is a facility dedicated to helping North Korean newcomers adjust to their new environment. Here’s Kim Eun-suk, director of the Administration Department at the Seoul City government, which organized this event, to explain the special meaning of the group name.

The word “Eokkaedongmu” means putting arms around one another’s shoulders. The name is filled with the group’s wish to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between North Korean defectors in four different districts in Seoul—Nowon, Yangcheon, Gangseo and Gwanak—and South Korean residents there. 150 group members, including 70 North Korean expatriates, participated in today’s volunteer work. The remaining members are college students and local residents.

The volunteers delivered 200 coal briquettes and one box of steamed bread that is enjoyed in North Korea to 82 needy households each, including senior citizens living alone. Although it may be only a small dedication, the volunteers were immensely happy to share their love and the recipients felt enormous gratitude. The North Korean volunteers were rather clumsy with the briquette delivery because they had never experienced volunteer work like this before. But they didn’t feel tired at all at the thought of the needy neighbors who would fight off the cold weather with those briquettes. Many were even choked up with emotion, recalling that they were once aid recipients.

...It is inconceivable that people use coal briquettes for fuel in the winter in North Korea. Only rich people do. I’m so glad to carry briquettes to neighbors in need here in South Korea as one of the volunteers delivering hope and love.

...We, defectors, have only received love and support since we came to South Korea. Today, I’m very happy to return what we received. It’s freezing outside, but I’m so excited that I can hardly feel the cold.

South Korean volunteers, too, are happy to join this volunteer work and mingle with North Korean newcomers, whom they felt rather unfamiliar with at first.

I’m from the northern office of the Hana Center. Here, I can experience this incredible feeling of unity between North and South Korea.

Ms. Kim says the volunteer work provided the public with a good opportunity to cast away prejudice against North Korean defectors. She is planning a variety of programs to be joined by Northern people next year.

A group of North Korean defectors volunteered to make traditional North Korean food and sell it at a charity event. They donated the proceeds from the event to Seoul City in November, asking the city to use the money for poor neighbors. In 2011, Seoul City will help many more North Korean refugees live independently as confident Seoul citizens through various support programs, in cooperation with offices of the Hana Center.

Just as the warmth of sharing gradually spread across the village, the volunteers’ love and devotion will hopefully spread to the entire society.