SOUTH KOREA: President Park Geun-hye and her Cabinet discuss North Korea as anti-North rallies continue amid tensions on the Korean peninsula

Record ID: 215625

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: President Park Geun-hye and her Cabinet discuss North Korea as anti-North rallies continue amid tensions on the Korean peninsula
  • Date: 11th March 2013
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 11, 2013) (REUTERS) ANTI-NORTH KOREA PROTESTERS RALLY WITH BANNER READING IN KOREAN: "RENUNCIATION OF NUCLEAR IS THE ONLY WAY FOR THE PEACE ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA" PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS WITH ANTI-NORTH KOREA SLOGANS IN KOREAN: "NORTH MUST IMMEDIATELY STOP ITS WAR THREATS" AND "DENUCLEARATION IS THE TRUE PEACE" ONE OF
  • Embargoed: 26th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADEKA18JGI98JQ6O9QW6TSCDBA
  • Story Text: South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her cabinet members discussed on Monday (March 11) how to respond to North Korea as anti-North Korea rallies continued amid tensions on the Korean peninsula.
    North Korea has cut off a Red Cross hotline with South Korea as it escalates its war of words against Seoul and Washington in response to a military drill in the South and U.N. sanctions imposed for its recent nuclear test. It has also threatened to scrap the 1953 truce that ended the war with the South.
    Seoul's presidential office spokesman said on Monday that Park had advised her cabinet members to be ready to strongly respond to any possible provocations by North Korea, but she added there would be room for her "Korean Peninsula trust process" if Pyongyang "comes out on the path toward change."
    The process calls for greater exchanges and dialogue to help build trust and reduce tensions with the North, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said.
    Park presided over her first cabinet meeting in Seoul on Monday. The agency said she has been without a new cabinet since taking office on February 25 as the parliamentary confirmation process for her ministerial nominees had been delayed and her government regoranisation proposal has been stuck in parliament due to opposition objections.
    Elsewhere, about 20 South Korean students, members of Remake Korea, staged a rally against North Korea in Seoul.
    Protesters urged North Korea to immediately drop its threats and abandon its nuclear weapons.

    "It is North Korea who has raised tensions. Tensions came from North Korea's threats to South Korea as well as international community, that's the problem. Before it's too late, North Korea should declare that they will abandon nuclear weapons and come to the table for dialogue with the international society so as not to damage the world peace," said protest leader Shin Bo-ra.
    On Monday South Korean and U.S. troops began the two-week war game called "Key Resolve", which is a computer simulated exercise involving 10,000 South Korean and 3,500 U.S. troops.
    Another joint military drill, "Foal Eagle", began on March 1 and will continue until April 30.
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