Korea Crisis Open Thread

New York Times—'Crisis Status' in South Korea After North Shells Island:

The South Korean military went to "crisis status" on Tuesday and threatened military strikes against the North after the North fired dozens of shells at a South Korean island, killing two South Korean soldiers and setting off an exchange of fire in one of the most serious clashes between the two sides in decades.

...The North blamed the South for starting the exchange; the South acknowledged firing test shots in the area but denied that any had fallen in the North's territory. It was in the same area that a South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan, was sunk in March, killing 46 sailors. Seoul blamed a North Korean torpedo attack; the North has denied any role.

The United States, Britain and Japan on Tuesday condemned the latest attack. The United States called on North Korea to "halt its belligerent action."

I don't guess I need to point out here that one of the problems of being embroiled in two three wars of choice is that we can't really provide much assistance to allies if necessary.

Sydney Morning Herald—North Korean dictator-in-waiting linked to deadly artillery attack: "North Korea has burnished the leadership credentials of its 26-year-old dictator-in-waiting with a deadly artillery attack on South Korean territory, causing its neighbour to return fire and scramble F-16 fighters. ... A North Korea expert at Beijing's Central Party School, Zhang Liangui, told the Herald that Kim Jong-un was deliberately destabilising the environment in order to mobilise the military and consolidate his power."

CNN—South Korean leader calls for 'action' after strike:

South Korea's president called on his military forces to use "action" and not talk to punish North Korea for deadly artillery attacks on Tuesday, but international diplomats appealed for restraint.

"The provocation this time can be regarded as an invasion of South Korean territory. In particular, indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a grave matter," President Lee Myung-bak said at the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

"Enormous retaliation is going to be necessary to make North Korea incapable of provoking us again," Lee said.

Not good. Not good at all.