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North Koreans stand on banksNorth Koreans stand on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, December 26, 2010.… Read more » REUTERS/Stringer |
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called for national solidarity against military aggression by the North on Monday, saying Pyongyang looks for division in the South as an opportunity to strike.
Lee has sharpened his language against the North after coming under pressure because of a perceived weak response to two North Korean attacks this year that raised tension on the peninsula to the highest since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The clashes have led some analysts to say the chance of a wider conflict is greater than ever.
In the latest rhetorical sparring, the North last week threatened a nuclear "sacred war" and Lee vowed "a merciless counterattack" against any fresh North Korean attacks as rare large-scale military drills in the South kept tension high.
"We can't afford to have division of 'you against me' in the face of national security, because what's at stake is our very lives and the survival of this nation," Lee said in a national radio address.
Lee said it was divided public opinion in the wake of the North's attack on a South Korean navy ship in March, in which 46 sailors were killed, that had prompted the North to bombard a South Korean island near a disputed sea border last month.
North Korea denies responsibility for the ship attack.
"It is when we show solidarity as one that the North dares not challenge us. Their will to challenge breaks," he said.
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