Mark Willacy reported this story on

Korean tension at dangerous levels

TAPESCRIPT 15

Monday, December 20, 2010 08:12:00

TONY EASTLEY:

Fears of war on the Korean Peninsula are building with the South vowing to push ahead with a live-fire military exercise despite grave threats of retaliation from the communist North. The drills on a South Korean island which was shelled last month by North Korea could begin as early as today, depending on the weather.

So worried are world powers about the potential for confrontation, the United Nations has convened a meeting of its Security Council. US envoy Bill Richardson characterized what is happening as quote, "A very, very tense situation, a crisis situation."

Here's North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy.

MARK WILLACY: For Yoon Jin-young, the tension is too much. The 48 year old is packing up and getting off Yeonpyeong Island. After last month's bombardment by North Korea and the threat of more artillery strikes, he's too scared to stay.

(Yoon Jin-young speaking)

"The residents here are getting more nervous, because our military is planning to hold a shelling exercise ", says Yoon. "Now the North is threatening to strike back. So I'm worried. I'm now heading to the ferry to the mainland but it hasn't arrived yet. So we're all anxiously waiting for it," he says.

When North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island last month the barrage killed four people, damaged dozens of homes, and left the Peninsula teetering on the brink of war. Pyongyang says it opened fire in response to a South Korean live-fire exercise on the Yellow Sea Island.

Now the South wants to conduct another military drill on Yeonpyeong, drawing more fire-and-brimstone warnings from north of the border.

(Newsreader speaks)

"If the South conducts this shelling, despite our warnings, we will against them," says this newsreader on state TV in Pyongyang. "These strikes will be greater in strength and scope than those we launched last month", he says.

But many in the South are sick and tired of bowing before Pyongyang's threats.

(Sound of protesters)

MARK WILLACY: Screaming for revenge against North Korea, these protesters on Yeonpyeong Island release balloons containing anti-Pyongyang messages.

(Park Sang-hak speaking)

"We're here to let the North Korean people know the truth about the regime's brutality," says protest leader and North Korean defector Park Sang-hak. "We'll tell them of the shelling attack on this island through these leaflets", he says.

But with a population starved of information, food and political freedom that's unlikely to make much difference over the border in North Korea or to stop the shells from falling on the south.

This is Mark Willacy reporting for AM.

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