"Nothing provocative about S. Korean military drills"

“The drills, in a coastal area near North Korean waters, are the first since Pyongyang responded to a similar exercise November 23 with a lethal attack on a South Korean island.

U.S. officials concede they are worried about a possible repeat of the November violence, and are stressing in advance that the South Korean exercises are "perfectly legitimate" and routine.

South Korea has announced it will stage maritime artillery drills between Friday and next Tuesday in waters near Yeonpyeong island, which was shelled by North Korea November 23 following a similar South Korean exercise.

At the White House, the vice-chairman of the U.S. military joint chiefs of staff, Marine General James Cartwright said there is worry in Washington that North Korea might fire back at South Korean artillery sites and set off a chain reaction of uncontrolled escalation.”

These 4 sentences are very telling in my view. The Yankees and S Koreans had tried to portray the recent N Korean attack on Yeonpyeong as amounting to unprovoked aggression. Yet it now appears that N Korea was reacting to the military activities initiated jointly by the Yankees and Seoul. So who actually provoked who?




“Cartwright said the exercise is being held on a well-established and well-used firing range in a transparent way.

There were similar comments here from State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley who said the planned drill is "perfectly legitimate" and that North Korea should not see it as provocative. “

"We've been fully briefed on the plan for this exercise. We always stand ready as an ally, and are committed to the defense of South Korea. These are routine exercises. There's nothing provocative or unusual or threatening about these exercises. The North Koreans have been notified about what South Korea plans to do," he said.”

So the Yankees are now stressing that their coming new military exercises with Seoul are transparent and Pyongyang had been notified accordingly. Is there reason for us to believe that the previous Yankee-S Korean military exercises were held without adequate notification of the details to the N Koreans, hence triggering their response? So who was in fact the guilty or, at least, the negligent party?

“The drills, in a coastal area near North Korean waters, are the first since Pyongyang responded to a similar exercise November 23 with a lethal attack on a South Korean island.

U.S. officials concede they are worried about a possible repeat of the November violence, and are stressing in advance that the South Korean exercises are "perfectly legitimate" and routine.

South Korea has announced it will stage maritime artillery drills between Friday and next Tuesday in waters near Yeonpyeong island, which was shelled by North Korea November 23 following a similar South Korean exercise.

At the White House, the vice-chairman of the U.S. military joint chiefs of staff, Marine General James Cartwright said there is worry in Washington that North Korea might fire back at South Korean artillery sites and set off a chain reaction of uncontrolled escalation.”

These 4 sentences are very telling in my view. The Yankees and S Koreans had tried to portray the recent N Korean attack on Yeonpyeong as amounting to unprovoked aggression. Yet it now appears that N Korea was reacting to the military activities initiated jointly by the Yankees and Seoul. So who actually provoked who?




“Cartwright said the exercise is being held on a well-established and well-used firing range in a transparent way.

There were similar comments here from State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley who said the planned drill is "perfectly legitimate" and that North Korea should not see it as provocative. “

"We've been fully briefed on the plan for this exercise. We always stand ready as an ally, and are committed to the defense of South Korea. These are routine exercises. There's nothing provocative or unusual or threatening about these exercises. The North Koreans have been notified about what South Korea plans to do," he said.”

So the Yankees are now stressing that their coming new military exercises with Seoul are transparent and Pyongyang had been notified accordingly. Is there reason for us to believe that the previous Yankee-S Korean military exercises were held without adequate notification of the details to the N Koreans, hence triggering their response? So who was in fact the guilty or, at least, the negligent party?