U.S. and S. Korea to Blame for Yonphyong Island Shelling
Pyongyang, December 25 (KCNA) -- The Yonphyong Island shelling committed by south Korea was a blatant challenge to the desire of the Koreans and other people for detente and peace on the Korean Peninsula. It was, at the same time, a dangerous provocation aimed to aggravate the situation. Leading newspapers Saturday said in commentaries.
"The shelling conducted by south Korea was a deliberate and planned action to preserve the ′northern limit line′ and bring a position for invading the DPRK close to its territory," said Rodong Sinmun.
"The shelling showed the Lee Myung Bak regime′s intention to recover from a disgraceful setback it suffered in the previous provocation, save its policy of confrontation with fellow countrymen from failure and weather its worsening ruling crisis," the news analyst added.
The commentary blamed the U.S. for egging south Korea onto another Yonphyong shelling against the DPRK.
"By sparking off a military clash on the peninsula and pushing the situation to an extreme phase the U.S. imperialist warmongers seek to solve the pending issue of Futenma airfield and calm down south Koreans critical of the ′Free Trade Agreement′. They also seek to retain a tighter grip on south Korea, exercise their influence over Northeast Asia and recover from their setbacks in the standoff with the DPRK over the nuclear issue," the newspaper added.
"The U.S. deserves curse by the Korean and other peace-loving people as it is gravely threatening peace on the peninsula to achieve its aim for aggression and plunder. South Korea is equally to blame for perpetrating reckless actions which may bring the Koreans a nuclear disaster, while working as a war stooge for the U.S.," the commentary said.
A commentary of Minju Joson said that the recent Yonphyong shelling was a deliberate military provocation committed by south Korea at the instruction of its American master. It added that it was aimed to recover from the setbacks it sustained in the previous shelling and use counterstrike from DPRK as a pretext for igniting a war against it.
