LOC17:48
14:48 GMT
(With Map)
TOKYO, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said
Wednesday his country's military will toughen its policy on the use of force
against North Korea, in response to the North's artillery attack on Tuesday,
Yonhap News Agency reported.
Lawmakers grilled the defense minister during a parliamentary session in
Seoul over the military's failure to have its fighter jets strike back
immediately, despite the fact that the North's bombardment on a populated
South Korean island was a military provocation, the report said.
"We will toughen our rules of engagement to allow the military to strongly
respond to" any North Korean provocations, Kim was quoted as telling
lawmakers. On Tuesday, North Korea fired about 170 rounds of artillery on
Yeonpyeong Island and the surrounding waters near the tense Yellow Sea border,
with some 90 shells landing on the island. The attack resulted in the deaths
of two marines and two civilians. 15 marines and at least three civilians were
wounded.
About 13 minutes after the North's attacks, South Korea returned fire with
some 80 cannons and scrambled six fighter jets. The fighter jets, however,
didn't engage because they need approval from the presidential office before
unleashing counter attacks.
"At that time, the fighter jets were deployed to launch counter attacks if
North Korea fires more artillery," Kim said, adding that his military is
reviewing changes to the rules in the direction that would require fighter
jets to immediately launch an air-to-ground strike.
Some lawmakers criticized the military for showing what they called
hesitation in returning fire against the North's attack, according to the
report. It took around 13 minutes for South Korean forces on Yeonpyeong to
strike back with their K-9 self-propelled guns. But Minister Kim defended his
military's response, insisting the front-line unit on the island acted
promptly in response within the short time, given the chain of command. The
minister also said he would deploy more artillery on the island. "We have six
K-9 self-propelled guns at Yeonpyeong Island and we plan to deploy more of
them," Kim said. (end)
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KUNA 241748 Nov 10NNNN