South Korea Not Afraid of War

South Koreans should stand together and not fear a war in order to reach a peaceful reunification with their northern neighbors, President Lee Myung-bak said Monday.
South Korea Not Afraid of War
12/27/2010
Updated:
12/27/2010
South Koreans should stand together and not fear a war in order to reach a peaceful reunification with their northern neighbors, President Lee Myung-bak said Monday on the radio.

In his biweekly radio address, reported by the Yonhap News Agency, Lee strongly expressed his readiness to retaliate against any provocations from North Korea.

He showed that he learned a lesson from the criticism on the passiveness to the November shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by North Korea.

“If [we] are afraid of war, we can never prevent war,” he was quoted by Yonhap.

According to Yonhap, he explained that the passive response to Yeonpyeong originated from the hope of maintaining peace.

He also mentioned that South Korea had changed its mentality and has “clearly realized the fact that only strong counteractions to military provocations are able to deter war and safeguard peace.”

Lee further stressed the importance of unity among the South Korean people in dealing with the North, as he said, according to Yonhap, it is the “North’s goal to split public opinion here.”

North Korea’s news agency published Sunday a delayed response to the Dec. 20 exercise, calling it a provocation and “a grave infringement upon the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK.” In the same release, North Korea compliments itself for its restraint in not starting a war.