Seoul has accused Pyongyang of duplicity by strengthening its military posture this weekend even as negotiators from the two Koreas try to reverse a rise in tensions.
Senior officials on Sunday afternoon resumed bilateral talks that ran late into Saturday night without agreement, and which were prompted by a rare exchange of artillery fire this week.
But as Sunday’s meeting got under way, South Korea’s defence ministry accused Pyongyang of showing “two faces” by deploying additional military assets over the weekend. It said North Korea had raised its frontline artillery assets to double the normal level and that 70 per cent its submarines were away from their bases.
Senior officials from both sides met on Saturday evening at the truce village of Panmunjeom, which straddles the inter-Korean border, to discuss measures to repair relations. At 4.15am the negotiators agreed to adjourn the talks and resume on Sunday afternoon.
The Pyongyang contingent was led by Hwang Pyong So, the North Korean army’s top political officer, who has become one of the closest aides to Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader, after rising through the Korean Workers’ party.
South Korea’s negotiators were headed by Kim Kwan-jin, head of national security office and a top adviser to President Park Geun-hye, who came to power in 2013 vowing to build trust with Pyongyang.
Prospects of improving relations have been undermined by a series of diplomatic and military confrontations. The latest came two weeks ago when Seoul accused Pyongyang of laying mines that maimed two South Korean soldiers on the southern edge of the demilitarised zone that divides the peninsula.
On Thursday North Korea fired three shells over the border and South Korea responded by firing about three dozen. There were no reports of any casualties. Pyongyang then threatened further military action if loudspeakers blaring propaganda across the border from the south were not silenced by Saturday afternoon.
Despite the joint effort to bring calm over the weekend, the military posturing continued. On Saturday eight US and South Korean combat jets flew over the peninsula in a show of force. Seoul’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces remained on high alert, and that the propaganda broadcasts were continuing.
Meanwhile, the “semi-war footing” North Korea assumed on Friday remains in force, with state media on Saturday carrying warnings of the country’s readiness for conflict.
“We servicepersons are eagerly waiting for an order of attack on the provokers,” Hong Chul, an army officer, was quoted as saying. “The time of ultimate destruction on the part of the South Korean group of traitors is near at hand.”
Experts this week noted that North Korea routinely threatens war to put pressure on Seoul and Washington, but warned that the exchange of fire was unusual and raised the risks of dangerous accidents.
“Pyongyang instigates crises approximately twice per year, ratcheting up tensions, grabbing headlines and then fading away until the next bizarre or bellicose incident,” Christian Whiton, a former US envoy for North Korean human rights, wrote on Saturday for CNN. “Unfortunately, North Korea is getting better at creative aggression.”
韓國責備朝鮮內外紛歧，稱後者於上周末在兩國會談職員盡力阻攔重要局面進級之際加大了軍事安排。
上周，朝韓產生了罕有的互相炮擊事宜，兩國為此舉辦了會談，但直至上周六深夜仍未殺青任何協定。上周日下晝，兩國高等官員再次舉辦會談。
但在上周日會談舉行之際，韓國國防部責備朝鮮“陽奉陰違”、在周末時代加大了軍事安排。韓國國防部表現，朝鮮將其前哨的火炮力氣增長至正常程度的兩倍，同時另有70%的潛艇分開了基地。
上周六晚間，兩國高等官員在處於朝韓邊疆的板門店“寧靜之家”見面，評論辯論修復兩國幹系的舉動。上周日清晨4時15分，兩國會談職員贊成臨時休會，並於當日下晝重啟會談。
朝方由朝鮮國民軍總政治局局長黃炳誓(Hwang Pyong-so)帶隊。黃炳誓執政鮮勞動黨(Korean Workers' Party)內慢慢提升以後，成為最高引導人金正恩(Kim Jong Un)最為密切的助手之一。
韓方由青瓦台國度安保室室長、韓國總統樸槿惠(Park Geun-hye)高等參謀金寬鎮(Kim Kwan-jin)領隊。樸槿惠在2013年上台之際曾許諾要樹立韓朝信賴幹系。
兩國幹系改良的遠景遭到了一系列交際和軍事辯論的影響。最新辯論來自兩周前，其時韓國責備朝鮮在處於韓朝分界限的非軍事區南部邊沿地域布雷，致使兩名韓國兵士身受重傷。
上周四，朝鮮在兩國界限處發射了3枚炮彈，韓國則還擊了30多枚炮彈。兩邊均沒有傷亡報導。隨後平壤方面威逼稱，假如韓國不在上周六下晝前停滯在界限處播放宣揚播送，就會采用進一步的軍事行為。
只管上周末兩邊盡力和緩局面，但軍事上的安排仍在持續。上周六，8架韓美戰機執政鮮半島上空飛翔，展現武力。韓國國防部上周日表現，其部隊仍然位於高等其余防備狀況，並且持續用擴音器播放宣揚播送。
與此同時，於上周五進入“準戰時狀況”的朝鮮仍然枕戈以待，其官方媒體上周六告誡稱，朝鮮已做好戰斗預備。
媒體援用朝鮮軍官Hong Chul的話稱：“咱們武士迫切地期待著襲擊尋釁者的敕令。終極打倒南朝鮮逆賊團體的機會近在咫尺。”
專家在上周指出，朝鮮時時時威逼動員戰斗以對韓國和美國施壓，但他們告誡稱，這次互射炮彈異乎平常，增長了暴發傷害事宜的危害。
美國前朝鮮人權題目特使克裏斯蒂安惠頓(Christian Whiton)上周六為美國有線電視消息網(CNN)撰稿時指出：“平壤方面險些每一年都邑有兩次挑起危急，加重重要局面，搶占消息頭條，隨後消聲匿跡，直至下一路怪僻或尋釁的事宜產生。遺憾的是，朝鮮對發明性尋釁愈來愈輕車熟路。”
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