Concerns have been raised over the intensity of North Korea\u2019s winter drills this year and the possibility that larger than average exercises may be planned for next month. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has said that it attaches weight to the worries, and that it is stepping up surveillance of military targets. <\/p>\n
Kim Min Seok, a spokesperson for the ministry, told a regular briefing on the 28th, \u201cNorth Korea is conducting its annual winter drills at an unprecedented intensity this year, bringing in artillery, special operations and air force attack exercises; much more than normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The South Korean authorities are concerned that the exercises might even portend some form of provocative attack on South Korea to mark the beginning of the new South Korean government.<\/p>\n
Kim explained why, saying, \u201cIn the past North Korea did many provocations because the South Korean government was in a time of change. In February 1998 there was the Taepodong-1 missile launch, on June 15th 1999 the First Battle of Yeonpyeong, and then the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong happened on June 29th 2002.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government of Lee Myung Bak also suffered similar troubles, with the death of a tourist at Mt. Keumgang in the summer of 2008, followed by 2009, a year that included the launch of a long-range missile and the second North Korean nuclear test, and the Battle of Daecheong, a skirmish in the West Sea on November 10th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Concerns have been raised over the intensity of North Korea\u2019s winter drills this year and the possibility that larger than average exercises may be planned for next month. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has said that it attaches weight to the worries, and that it is stepping up surveillance of military targets. Kim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":22800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n