US reaction to North Korean Attack

Maggie
Blog post #2
Topic: Leaders
After North Korean Strike, South Korean leader threatens 'retaliation'
by CNN wire staff
From CNN, November 24 2010
307 words

On Tuesday November 23, North Korea released deadly artillery attacks on South Korea. The US is now in a very interesting position, because it has to back up South Korea without offending North Korea. This balancing act has so far resulted in two actions. First, President Obama released a statement saying that since the US and South Korea are allies, the US will “defend South Korea as part of that alliance”. Also, the Obama and Lee (South Koreas president) released a statement saying that they had agreed to hold “combined military exercises and enhanced training” to “close security cooperation” and “underscore the strength of our alliance and commitment to peace and security in the region”. This means they will be essentially demonstrating their strength in order to intimidate North Korea. The idea is that this way, they are not actively provoking North Korea, they are simply showing strength and support of South Korea. However, it is yet to be seen whether this approach works. An anonymous US official said recently that it may not be working, and that US policy in the region needs to be reevaluated. For now, though, the US is still in South Korea showing support. Another aspect in this issue is the reactions from neighboring countries like China. Stephen Bosworth, the US special envoy on North Korea, was in China to talk to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently. He told reporters on both sides to exercise restraint, and said that the Chinese agree that conflict is undesirable.

In conclusion, the US is in a tricky spot because we have to defend our ally but we also have to be careful not to set off any actions or attacks from North Korea. Because of this, the US has decided to vocally and militarily support South Korea without being too loud about it. We'll see if it actually works, or whether the US involvement provokes further attacks.