North Korea threatens South over naval clash

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity citing department policy.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, downplayed the significance of the North's threats, saying they were carried in newspaper commentaries, not government or military statements — which carry more weight.

Yang said the North won't take any serious military action because it is just using the skirmish to "grab U.S. attention" and "show the Korean peninsula is still unstable" ahead of direct talks with Washington.

The North's military issued a statement Tuesday blaming the South for the clash but made no threat or mention of retaliation. Yang said the North has a tendency to follow up government or military statements with newspaper commentaries.

South Korea's 680,000-member military went on high alert following the naval clash to cope with possible retaliation. South Korean media reported the country has deployed up to four destroyers and warships near the sea border — the scene of two bloody skirmishes in 1999 and 2002.

"Our warship repelled the North Korean patrol vessel in a single stroke," Navy Chief of Staff Jung Ok-keun said in a speech Wednesday marking the 64th anniversary of the navy's foundation.

"We're fully prepared for North Korea's possible additional provocation and will unshakably, resolutely and sternly respond in any situation," he said.

South Korea's military said there has been no sign of suspicious activities from North Korean troops, but news reports said the North has also placed its 1.2 million-strong army on high alert.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told the National Assembly on Tuesday that he believed the North may take retaliatory actions, saying President Lee Myung-bak "also has such concerns."

But Choi Jong-chul, a professor at Korea National Defense University, said it's unlikely the North will act ahead of talks with the U.S. He said Seoul also doesn't also want see tensions rise.

"It would be in the interest of both Koreas not to escalate the situation," Choi said.

The two Koreas have remained technically at war since the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The U.S., which has never had diplomatic relations with North Korea, stations 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter potential North Korean aggressions.

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