S.Korea to beef up readiness
SEOUL - SOUTH Korea's new army chief of staff vowed on Friday to strengthen readiness to deal with any possible North Korean provocations amid heightened tensions after the deadly sinking of a warship Seoul and Washington blamed on Pyongyang.
South Korea has asked the UN Security Council to censure Pyongyang over the sinking. North Korea denies it was responsible and has warned any moves to punish it at the UN would lead to armed conflict and possibly nuclear war.
South Korea and the US have urged Pyongyang to avoid provocations and vowed to hold the regime accountable for the March sinking of the warship Cheonan that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
'Our military is charged with a supreme task to maintain high readiness to sternly counter any North Korean provocations,' Gen Hwang Eui Don said in his inauguration speech at military headquarters in Daejeon, south of Seoul.
He said he will ensure any provocations can be dealt with when they occur. On Thursday, he cautioned there is still a 'considerable' possibility of provocation by the North given its history of attacks on the South, though he said North Korea has so far shown no signs of any unusual military activity.
He assumed the top army post following a recent reshuffle of four top officers amid criticisms that the military was negligent ahead of the sinking and mishandled it. -- AP
Source: S.Korea to beef up readiness



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