Koreas on `brink of war` because of Seoul, Pyongyang says
Baku, November 24 (AZERTAC). North Korea on Wednesday blamed South Korea for driving them "to the brink of war," a day after the North shelled a South Korean island and killed four people.
South Korea provoked the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by holding a military drill off their shared coast in the Yellow Sea, North Korea said.
Pyongyang made the accusation through its state media, referring to a military drill that Seoul holds every year.
"The puppet group dared make an uproar over `a provocation` from someone and cry out for `punishment` like a thief crying `Stop the thief!`" the North`s KCNA news agency said.
"The Lee Myung-bak group`s treacherous and anti-reunification acts are intolerable as it vitiated the atmosphere for improving the inter-Korean relations overnight and drove the situation to the brink of war, challenging the desire of all the Koreans," KCNA said.
The administration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said it was consulting the United States and other allies Wednesday, following the North`s shelling.
"We have come to the judgment that what happened on Yeonpyeong Island was a definite military provocation against the Republic of Korea," the Lee administration said.
"The fact that they have indiscriminately fired upon a defenseless civilian zone was a brutally inhumane action, an illegal and intentional action against the U.N. constitution and the armistice between the North and South Korea."
The South said it was on high alert, but was calmly considering its actions.
"We have ordered to bring calm to the lives of people. For the deceased marines, we will give them honorable treatment and the funeral functions will be held on the coming Saturday," the Lee administration said.
"The close cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea will be maintained and there will be special measures for the damage done to the village."
Seoul on Wednesday announced 1 billion won ($875,583) in emergency money to repair damage wrought by Tuesday`s shelling, which killed two South Korean marines and two civilians. The attack also injured 15 South Korean soldiers and three civilians, South Korea said.
The two civilians` bodies were found Wednesday on the coast of Yeonpyeong Island, South Korean coast guard said.
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