By Na Jeong-ju
North Korea said Monday it won’t talk with the Lee Myung-bak administration anymore, threatening a “merciless” military response to what it called the South’s hostile policy toward the North.
It also vowed to cut the inter-Korean military communication cable in the East Sea, close a liaison office on Mt. Geumgang in the North, and attack South Korean groups engaging in psychological warfare near the inter-Korean border.
The measures are expected to raise tensions further between the two Koreas, whose relations have remained at a deadlock since the North’s deadly attacks on the South last year.
South Korean officials reacted calmly, saying the South will deal resolutely with any further provocations.
“Our military and people will never deal with traitor Lee Myung-bak and his clan from now on,” the North’s powerful National Defense Commission said in a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il leads the commission, as chairman.
“Our military will launch a physical strike against South Koreans engaging in psychological warfare at an unexpected time and place.”
The statement also criticized the South Korean government for doing nothing to improve the situation.
“They are spreading rumors around the world that a contingency situation will occur soon in our country. They are just waiting for the time,” it said.
The North has threatened the South frequently, the latest being in April, when it threatened to launch "unpredictable and merciless" fire against South Korea over anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
But the latest hard-line rhetoric comes just days after Kim returned from his visit to China including a summit talk with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing.
“We urge the North to come to the talks with a sincere attitude,“ said a government official requesting anonymity, adding that the government regards it in the vein of the North mixing harsh rhetoric and dialogue to see through with their stance.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik visited Yeonpyeong Island and Baengnyeong Island near the western sea border to boost morale of marines stationed there.
In March last year, a North Korean torpedo sank the Navy vessel Cheonan near the border, killing 46 sailors. Eight months later, the North launched an artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong, killing four South Koreans, including two civilians.
“We won’t tolerate North Korea’s provocations anymore. We will do everything we can to make it pay the price for any further attacks,” Kim said.
The South has demanded an apology for the deadly attacks, saying the North should show sincerity first to move inter-Korean relations forward. President Lee has made it clear that any dialogue overlooking North Korea’s provocations and military brinkmanship won’t lead to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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