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| President Lee Myung-bak bangs a gavel during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. He urged the government to maintain preparedness for any provocation by North Korea ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election. / Yonhap |
By Kim Young-jin
President Lee Myung-bak called for the government to maintain preparedness for provocations by North Korea or attempts by Pyongyang to influence the Dec. 19 presidential election.
Lee, who has overseen tense cross-border ties in his term, was referring to the North's history of attempting to influence the elections through propaganda or belligerent acts.
"We have to be thoroughly prepared not only for armed provocations by the North, but also for its attempts to intervene in our presidential election," Lee was quoted as saying during a cabinet meeting.
The region is in a sensitive period as major players including the United States and South Korea hold elections and China hands power to a new generation of leaders.
While some say this may increase the chances of provocations by Pyongyang, others believe the regime may wait to see who wins the elections in Washington and Seoul to see in engagement is possible.
Such a strategy, however, does not preclude the North's attempt to influence public discourse ahead of the polls. On Saturday, it asserted that is Park takes office she would perpetuate the poor cross border ties and "bring fascist suppression and war."
North Korean fishing boats have crossed the disputed Northern Limit Line several times in recent weeks, in an apparent test of Seoul's will.
Past cases of the North's provocations impacting elections here include the bombing of a Korean Air plane in 1987 and military maneuvers by the North at the border village of Panmunjom in 1996, events said to favor the conservative side.
The North would rather see the inauguration of either of Park's candidates, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party or liberal independent Ahn Cheol-soo as both are likely to roll back President Lee Myung-bak's hard line policy on the North.
Lee, whose inter-Korean policy has been met with increasing fatigue, urged his government to finish its tenure strong before he leaves office in February.
"We cannot be inattentive about economic and security issues even for a single day until the end of my term," he saidLee calls for vigilance on NK before polls
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