N.K. brinkmanship escalates tensions

North Korea raised the stakes in escalating tension with the South Saturday, threatening to suspend all dialogue unless Seoul apologizes for its military leader`s remark suggesting an intention of a strike against the North`s nuclear facilities.

Last week, Gen. Kim Tae-young, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South`s military could strike the North`s nuclear sites if the communist country attacks the South with nuclear weapons. He suggested the opinion at a parliamentary confirmation hearing on March 26.

The North Korean military on Saturday lashed out the remark as "provocations" by Seoul with a scheme to conduct preemptive strikes against the Pyongyang regime.

The North demanded Seoul retract the remark and apologize for it. It threatened to suspend all inter-Korean dialogues and contacts in case of noncompliance.

South Korea denied the North`s claim.

"He was only referring to a "general guideline" for military counteractions to a worst case scenario of North Korea`s nuclear attack. There was no such wording as `preemptive strike` in the Assembly records," the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry plans to decide by Tuesday whether to make an official reply to the North`s demand.

"We don`t know how to react to the North`s claim now because we haven`t decided yet whether to send a reply to the North. If we reply, it would contain our position that the North`s claim is not true. We may express regret over the North`s falsified argument," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

During the hearing, Gen. Kim Tae-young was asked by a Grand National Party lawmaker how he would respond if North Korea attacks the South with small-size nuclear weapons.

Kim answered that "The most important thing is to strike the sites where nuclear weapons are possibly stacked, after spotting exact locations. Then, we have to consider missile defense measures to prevent the nuclear weapons from having any harm on our soil."

The North`s Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday that the North Korean military sent a letter to the the South`s chief delegate to inter-Korean general-level military talks in remonstration to Kim`s remark.

"The violent words are the gravest challenge that has ever happened in the history of the inter-Korean relations and reckless provocations which corresponds to a formal declaration of war against us," the North`s military said in the letter, according to the KCNA.

"Our military will counter any slightest move by the South side for `preemptive attacks` with more rapid and more powerful preemptive attack of our own," it said.

The communist state`s military warned it will forbid South Korean officials to cross the inter-Korean border as a countermeasure.

South Korean military officials confirmed the ministry has received the letter from the North. But, they said the North breached a rule by releasing the content to the media.

"The behavior appears to be a tactic in and of itself. The North`s side breached a custom that such a letter has been sealed between the two military authorities," an official said.

Before making the claim, North Korea issued a series of hardline actions and warnings against the South last week.

On Thursday, the North expelled South Korean officials from the joint industrial complex in Gaeseong. On Friday, the North test-fired several short-range missiles into the West Sea.

By Jin Dae-woong

(davidpooh@heraldm.com)