DPRK urges ROK to stop shelling exercise
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military on Friday urged South Korea to immediately stop its plans for a shelling exercise around Yonphyong Island, the official news agency KCNA reported.
The head of the DPRK delegation to the DPRK-South Korea general-level military talks sent a notice to the South Korean side concerning the shelling exercise, reported the KCNA.
The notice warned that if South Korea persisted in its plan to hold the exercise, the DPRK would deliver a second and third "unpredicted self-defense counterattack" that would be bigger and more powerful than the previous one to defend its territorial waters.
The notice urged South Korea to make "deep deliberation" to the DPRK warning.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been heightened after South Korea and the DPRK exchanged artillery fire near Yonphyong Island on Nov. 23 that killed four South Koreans.
South Korea has declared plans for a live shell artillery drill in the waters southwest of Yonphyong Island on a selected date from Dec. 18-21 depending on weather conditions.
On Friday, the KCNA reported that South Korea's firing destination was the territorial waters of the DPRK and Seoul's plan to resume the firing drill was aimed at "saving its face lost last time."
That the United States supported the plan and intends to dispatch forces to take part in the drill made the provocation of South Korea to an "extremely dangerous degree," according to the report.
