London: A North Korean flag has been used for target practice by the South Korean and American troops in the largest live-fire exercise conducted since the Korean War.
The one-day drill at Poncheon near the North Korean border, which involved 2000 troops along with jet fighters, tanks and Apache attack helicopters, were intended to demonstrate US and South Korean combat’s readiness, sending a clear warning to North Korea against signs of aggression.
According to the Telegraph, the drills, even as the rockets actually did not actually hit the flag, were seen as a provocation by Pyongyang.
A North Korean government official said the drills threatened to bring "a new cloud of war to the region", while the Korean Central News Agency warned that even a small clash could lead to a "full-scale regional nuclear war".
However, Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean professor at Seoul's Dongguk University said that even a direct hit on the flag would probably only result in escalated North Korean threats because Pyongyang's struggling economy prevents it from staging any attack.
South Korean Navy Brigadier General Park Seong-Bae warned against any aggression from the North Korean military.
“We will immediately retaliate against any attacks from North Korea and finish the enemy off on the spot,” he said.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, June 23, 2012, 19:00