S. Korea: We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore

President Lee Myung-bak announces tougher military policy
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 29, 2010 11:51 AM CST
S. Korea: We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak bows to the nation during a press conference at the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)

South Korea’s policy barring a military response to North Korean aggression is no more, said President Lee Myung-bak. “North Korea has provoked us on many occasions, but this is the first time they have made a direct attack on South Korean soil,” he noted. “Launching a military attack on civilians is a crime against humanity, even during wartime.”

After having provided humanitarian aid to the North in the past, "South Koreans realize that tolerance and generosity bring more provocation," the president added. The South will bolster its defenses and “make North Korea pay the due price by all means for its provocation from now on." Meanwhile, North Korea warned against an “attempt to astound and pressure us by deploying a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier,” the Washington Post reports. “We don't want war, but never are afraid of one."
(More Lee Myung-bak stories.)

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