Pyongyang warns of more attacks ‘if provoked' YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea:South Korea said Thursday it would send more troops and guns to frontline islands, as North Korea warned it could follow up this week's deadly shelling with more attacks, if provoked. Pyongyang's fresh warning came as a US aircraft carrier headed for the tense peninsula to join war games to be staged as a show of force to the nuclear-armed communist state. The North's unprecedented artillery bombardment of Yeonpyeong island Tuesday killed two marines and two civilians, injured 18 more people and turned homes into charred ruins. It claimed its first political victim when the South's Defense Minister Kim Tae-young resigned, following growing criticism that Seoul's military and government reacted too softly to the assault. The government said Thursday it would revise its rules of engagement, allowing troops to hit back harder if necessary. Tuesday's attack was the first time the North had shelled a civilian area since the 1950-53 war. It provoked the worst crisis on the peninsula in years, with the international community agonizing over how to respond. South Korea and the United States, among others, pressed China to rein in its neighbor. The North accused the United States and its “warmongering South Korean puppets” of provoking the attack. It said South Korea's military in an exercise fired shells within what the North claims as its own waters. World powers are struggling to draw up a response to the latest actions by a regime that has in recent years staged two nuclear tests and fired long-range missiles. It is also accused of sinking a South Korean warship in March with the loss of 46 lives, a charge it denies. Many observers believe the attack was meant to highlight the military credentials of heir apparent Kim Jong-un, youngest son of leader Kim Jong-il. US President Barack Obama has pledged to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with ally South Korea, where 28,500 American troops are stationed. But in the tense standoff, the United States and its allies face few appealing choices, analysts say – resuming talks, which could be seen as rewarding aggression; easing the tone and risking further provocation; or toughening its position at the risk of sparking a full-blown war. – Agence France
