SKorea president wants strong response to NKorea

AP
SEOUL, South Korea -South Korea's president stressed Monday the need to bolster
military readiness and sternly respond to North Korea over the deadly sinking of
a warship, or risk more such provocations.
South Korea has taken a slew of punitive measures against North Korea including
resuming propaganda operations after blaming Pyongyang for torpedoing the South
Korean warship Cheonan in March. Forty-six South Korean sailors died.
North Korea flatly denies the allegation and has warned any retaliation would tr
igger war. The country's military said Saturday it would launch an all-out strik
e against any South Korean propaganda facilities at the border such as loudspeak
ers and could even turn Seoul into "a sea of flame."
The North has made similar threats in the past. South Korea has reinstalled loud
speakers at the border after a six-year hiatus, but has yet to begin blaring pro
paganda from them.
On Monday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak renewed calls for a strong respo
nse.
"If we fail to sternly respond to North Korea's wrongdoing in cooperation with t
he international community and build up solid military readiness, a second and t
hird provocation like the Cheonan incident can occur anytime," he said in a nati
onally televised speech.
Lee also said he would revamp and strengthen South Korea's military and hold som
e officers responsible for the sinking.
Lee didn't name any top officers but his comments came a day after his top milit
ary officer offered to retire amid criticism over alleged negligence ahead of th
e sinking. The Cheonan attack occurred along the disputed sea border where three
bloody sea battles have been fought.
Gen. Lee Sang-eui, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, submitted his applicat
ion for retirement to Defense Minister Kim Tae-young, on Sunday, according to Le
e's office. Kim is reviewing Lee's retirement offer, a Joint Chiefs of Staff off
icer said, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy.
On Thursday, South Korea's top audit agency told the defense minister to punish
Lee and 24 other senior defense officials for failing to ensure combat readiness
ahead of the March 26 sinking.
The audit body said the military had expected a North Korean submarine or submer
sible vessel could secretly attack a South Korean ship following a sea skirmish
in the area in November and still failed to prevent the attack.
The two Koreas are still technically at war because their 1950-53 Korean War end
ed with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The U.N. Security Council was set to review South Korea's request to punish the
North, with Seoul officials scheduled to brief council members about the investi
gation results later Monday.
"That was an outrageous act of aggression that we condemn and it needs to be pun
ished," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said in an interview aired
on "Fox News Sunday" that was taped Saturday. "Our hearts go out to the families
of the sailors whose lives were lost in that event."
Lee's speech was mainly meant to address major domestic issues including the rul
ing party's upset defeat in local elections earlier this month and a controversy
over his plans to kill a project to relocate part of the government out of Seou
l.