PYONGYANG, November 24 (Itar-Tass) — The Revolutionary Armed Forces of North Korea are ready for a “decisive battle to counter any military provocations.” It is said in the statement of the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday. This statement was a response to the South Korean manoeuvres with the participation of “aggressive American forces” that were launched on five islands in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday.
Seoul allegedly seeks to “remind the North of the victims of the shelling by its coastal artillery of the Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, 2010, as well as demonstrate readiness to rebuff any other provocations,” the KPA Supreme Command said in a statement. In fact, the actions of the North Korean artillery last year “were a measure of self-defence taken against provocateurs who had dared to fire upon the territorial waters of the People’s Republic,” the document says.
It also stresses that the South Korean regime “has not learnt any lessons for itself from last year’s events in the Yellow Sea and again conducts manoeuvres in this region targeted against the DPRK.” In this connection the North Korean command warns that if during these manoeuvres South Korea makes at least one shot towards the North’s territorial waters, airspace and land space, then the stronghold of the group of Korean traitors will be destroyed.
According to KCNA, the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army announced the following report on Thursday as regards the anti-DPRK war exercises launched by the south Korean military on five islands and their surrounding waters in the West Sea of Korea:
“The puppet military warmongers of South Korea, keen in confrontation with fellow countrymen, kicked off large-scale anti-DPRK war rehearsal on the five islands and their surrounding waters in the West Sea of Korea at 13:00 Wednesday. Involved in the rehearsal are the puppet Joint Chiefs of Staff, Command for Defence of Islands in Northwest Sea, Naval Force Operation Command, Air Force Operation Command and other commanding bodies, strike flying corps, fleets of warships, artillery units and other huge armed forces.”
“Some of the US imperialist aggressor forces present in South Korea took part in it.”
“The military warmongers dared to announce that the rehearsal is aimed to remind the DPRK of victims and lesson from the Yeonpyeong Island shelling and review their “perfect readiness for counteraction.” It is also intended to show their will to decisively punish “not only the base of provocation but also commanding posts of all echelons including supporters in the north” with the combined forces of three services in case the DPRK starts a military action, they asserted.”
“As for last year's Yeonpyeong Island shelling, it was a legitimate self-defensive step against the provocateurs who dared to make a clumsy fire on the inviolable territorial waters of the DPRK despite its army's advance warning.”
“This being a hard reality, they launched the anti-DPRK war rehearsal far from drawing due lesson on the first anniversary of the shelling. It is little short of a new political and military provocation to the army and people of the DPRK,” the agency said.
“Such disgusting behaviour by the military warmongers, who go recklessly without knowing about the present trend of situation and their domestic condition, will arouse criticism and ridicules from among the people at home and abroad,” it said. “They should not forget the lesson taught by the Yeonpyeong Island shelling one year ago.”
“They should be mindful that If they dare to impair the dignity of the DPRK again and fire one bullet or shell toward its inviolable territorial waters, sky and land, the deluge of fire on Yeonpyeong Island will lead to that in Chongwadae and the sea of fire in Chongwadae to the deluge of fire sweeping away the stronghold of the group of traitors,” it said. “The DPRK revolutionary armed forces are in full readiness to go into a decisive battle to counter any military provocation.”