North Korea has warned that a planned joint US and South Korean military drills are pushing the NOKO/SOKO peninsula to the brink of war.
Pundits say that North Korea practices expertise in ‘brinkmanship’ to get what it wants at the negotiation table.
The South Korean president Lee Myung-bak ordered reinforcements for about 4,000 troops on Yeonpyeong and four other Yellow Sea islands after he fired Defense Minister Kim Tae-young.
Top-level weaponry is newly provided for the soldiers and upgraded rules of engagement that would create a new category of response when civilian areas are targeted.