South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says North Korea has fired a short-range missile off its east coast, the sixth time it has fired missiles since Monday’s nuclear test.
The move comes hours after Pyongyang vowed to take further “self-defense measures” if provoked by the United Nations Security Council. A statement released by the Foreign Ministry says “any hostile action” by the Security Council will amount to a cancellation of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.
UN discusses sanctions
Representatives of the U.N. Security Council’s five permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia – met behind closed doors Thursday to weigh possible new sanctions against North Korea for its latest nuclear test. The sanctions could include expanding an arms embargo, and placing restrictions on financial and banking regulations.
Officials say it is not likely that a resolution will pass until next week.
Tensions high
Tensions have been running high on the Korean peninsula since the North’s atomic test. Pyongyang announced Wednesday it was no longer bound by the 1953 armistice. It warned South Korea it would take military action if Seoul and the United States made any move to intercept North Korean vessels under a U.S.-led effort, the Proliferation Security Initiative, to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The move prompted South Korean and U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula to raise their alert level to its highest level since 2006, when the North conducted its first nuclear test.
The increased tensions have led Chinese fishing boats to withdraw from a disputed sea territory off the western Korean coast. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says 280 boats were fishing in the area earlier this week, but the number has fallen to about 140.
Gates: No increase in troops
Despite North Korea’s threats, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there is no need to increase troop numbers in South Korea.
Speaking with reporters early Friday on a flight to Singapore, Gates says he is not aware of any unusual troop movements in North Korea. He also says the Obama administration considers the North Korean nuclear test an aggressive act, but does not believe the situation is not a crisis.
Source: VOANEWS.com.
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