The White House on Tuesday condemned North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island as “belligerent,” saying President Obama is “outraged” and standing by his allies in the south. “We’ll be working with South Korea and the international community in coming days on the best way forward in securing peace and stability in the region,” said White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton.
This latest foreign policy crisis follows Obama’s recent trip to Seoul, South Korea, and is the latest in a string of provocations from the communist dictatorship in Pyonyang, North Korea.
“It’s an outrageous act,” Burton said. “The president thinks that North Korea is not living up to its obligations … in the armistice agreement and international law.”
North Korea launched an artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong island off the coast of Inchon. Two South Korean marines were killed and a dozen other people were injured.
South Korea returned fire, and warned of a massive retaliation. Both sides subsequently claimed the other attacked. No U.S. forces were involved in the exchange, according to reports.
The incident followed several others, and more recent, disturbing reports that North Korea is stepping up its nuclear enrichment program.
Obama was informed of the attack at 3:55 a.m. He spent much of the day in Indiana, defending the government’s intervention in the automobile industry, while top military, diplomatic and national security leaders gathered at the White House to confer on North Korea.
The president was to call South Korean President Lee Myung-bak late in the day.
It was unclear where the conflict was heading, but it seemed likely the trouble would dominate Obama’s Thanksgiving holiday — already made tricky by a public outcry over enhanced airport security and other domestic headaches.
“The onus is on North Korea,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. “We’re going to stay unified with our partners. We’re going to consult. We’re going to figure out next steps. But, you know, North Korea, through its actions, continues to isolate itself.”
The Obama administration has been following a so-called “two track” policy of carrot and stick negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program. The impoverished nation is chronically in need of international assistance.
But the adversarial nuclear power has repeatedly tested the administration’s patience, launching a rocket in April 2009 and sinking the South Korean ship Cheonan in March that killed 46 sailors.
Six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to drop its nuclear ambitions halted after the 2009 rocket launch and have yet to resume, though this latest incident is intensifying pressure on Obama to push China to use its influence with Pyongyang.
Critics contend that Obama has spent time focusing on stalled Middle East peace talks and his balky nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, while overlooking the persistent threat posed by North Korea.
“Instead of being tough on North Korea, they don’t talk much about it because they don’t want to admit their [approach] failed,” said James Carafano, a defense expert at the Heritage Foundation.
So far, Obama is following the established protocol of commenting on the incident through surrogates.
