By Na Jeong-ju
President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed Monday that the country can only maintain peace by dealing resolutely with North Korean military threats, saying he would order a firm response if the country is attacked again.
“If we are afraid of war, we can never prevent war,” Lee said in his biweekly radio address. “The administration will make its utmost efforts to keep the peace, but won’t fear war with North Korea.”
The remarks are the latest in a series of warnings to Pyongyang since it shelled Yeonpyeong Island near the western sea border last month, killing two civilians and two marines.
The shelling of Yeonpyeong was the latest in a series of provocative acts this year. Tension has remained high between the two Koreas since the South Korean warship, Cheonan, sank in the West Sea after being torpedoed by North Korea, killing 46 sailors on board. North Korea denies any involvement.
Lee said the artillery attack suggests that it’s hard to expect the reclusive North to abandon its nuclear program and military brinkmanship.
He called for unity of all South Koreans, saying firm unity can ensure national security.
“If our people become one and show a united power, North Korea can’t dare to challenge us,” said the conservative leader. “That’s the most crucial lesson learned from the Yeonpyeong incident.”
Lee said the South had tolerated the North’s belligerence in hopes of maintaining peace on the peninsula. However, he stressed that the military will cope with any future attacks without mercy. ”Fear of war is never helpful in preventing war,” the President said.
He also noted how he was heartened by more young Korean men applying to be marines after the Nov. 23 shelling on Yeonpyeong.
It was the first North Korean attack to kill civilians since the 1950-1953 Korean War. Pyongyang said it launched the artillery attack on the island in the West Sea in response to a South Korean military drill.
Despite the President’s tough stance on the communist North, the main opposition Democratic Party has called on the government to put off planned military drills, saying the exercises may cause a chain reaction and escalate into war.
“President Lee should bear in mind the fact that the people want dialogue, instead of a crisis, and peace rather than war,” DP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu said Monday.