South Korea promised today to boost defenses on the island North Korea attacked, as the country’s defense minister resigned and China offered an official response to the incident. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a security meeting today to draft new defense strategies and rules of engagement including increasing and upgrading weapons and sending more troops. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young resigned, but will retain his post until a new chief is announced tomorrow, the AP reports.
Seoul and Washington are also pressuring China to take a stand on North Korea, and a South Korea government official tells the New York Times his nation will “pull out all the stops and make every diplomatic effort with China.” Premier Wen Jiabao offered China’s first high-level reaction, stating that Beijing opposes “any provocative military behavior” on the Korean peninsula but not directly mentioning North Korea, the Wall Street Journal reports. Meanwhile, residents began returning to their homes on the island. Click here for more coverage.
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