Friday, November 26, 2010
The exchange of a barrage of artillery fire between North and South Korea on Yeonpyeong Island had raised concern worldwide. The attack was undoubtedly initiated by North Korea. It is a reckless and provocative action that dangerously heightened tensions in the already fraught situation. Two troops and two civilians were killed in the firing, along with more than a dozen people injured. Homes were destroyed and forests were set ablaze too. This had forced Seoul into an agonizing debate on how many violent provocations it can tolerate before it has to retaliate.
There was another surreptitious attack last March, which led to the sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean naval ship and killing 46 sailors. However, Seoul did not strike back and warned Pyongyang it would do so if pushed again.
Since the Korean War ended in 1953, the relationship between the North and South Korea have always been on the rocks in the past years. Tensions will bound to escalate after the United States dispatched a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea for joint military drills that will take place from Sunday to next Wednesday. During a phone conversation with the South Korean counterpart Lee Myung Bak, the US president Barack Obama emphasized that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with their close ally.
I do not wish for anymore uncalled deaths of innocent civilians. Perhaps, the representatives from all over the world could come together for a talk to discuss how they could distress the tension and rebuild the broken ties between North and South Korea. This conflict must be resolved in order for peace to be restored. China, on the other hand, should step in and stop approving North Korea of their actions. By doing so, North would then have no back up thus be discouraged for further attacks. China must be fair in dealing with the two Koreas.
Eugenie Tan
