UN Security Council starts emergency meeting on Korea crisis

 

The United Nations Security Council started holding an emergency meeting on Sunday at Russia's request to address mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The UN Security Council meeting, held behind closed doors, will discuss a Russian draft statement calling on both North and South Korea to refrain from the escalation of the conflict.

The representatives of North and South Korea have not been invited to attend the meeting.

Russia's envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin reiterated on Sunday that Russia was seriously concerned over further escalation between the two Koreas because the current situation in the region "directly affects the national security interests of the Russian Federation."

"We believe that the Security Council must send a restraining signal to the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and DPRK [North Korea], and help launch diplomatic activity with a view to resolving all issues of dispute between the two Korean sides by political and diplomatic means," Churkin said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula are high since Seoul unveiled plans to hold exercises on Yeonpyeong Island on December 18-21. Pyongyang blasted the move saying its response would be "deadlier" than the shelling in November that killed four South Koreans on the island.

South Korea has postponed the drills until Monday citing poor weather conditions, but vowed to proceed with the planned exercises despite threats from Pyongyang and calls for restraint from Russia and China.

NEW YORK, December 19 (RIA Novosti) 

S. Korea vows to proceed with firing drill off border island

SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military reaffirmed Sunday it will go ahead with its planned live-fire drill off a Yellow Sea border island, despite strong reactions from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported.

"The live-fire drill off Yeonpyeong Island will take place on Dec. 20 or 21, as previously announced, depending on weather conditions," a South Korean military official was quoted by Seoul' s Yonhap news agency as saying on Sunday.

An official at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also said "We won't take into consideration North Korean threats and diplomatic situations before holding the live-fire drill. If weather permits, it will be held as scheduled."

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been heightened after South Korea and the DPRK exchanged artillery fire near Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23 that killed four South Koreans, while damages to the DPRK still remain unknown.

South Korea has declared plans for a live shell artillery drill in the tense waters southwest of Yeonpyeong Island on a selected date from Dec. 18-21 depending on weather conditions.

The DPRK on Friday urged Seoul to immediately stop its plans for the shelling exercise, warning that it would deliver a second and third "unpredicted self-defense counterattack" that would be bigger and more powerful than the previous one to defend its territorial waters if Seoul persisted in its plan to hold the exercise.

2010-12-19 23:36:13

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