Defense minister to warn N. Korea on battle anniversary

Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Sunday he will attend a ceremony this week to commemorate those who were killed in an inter-Korean naval clash 13 years ago.
  
The ceremony will be held Monday on the anniversary of the naval skirmish that broke out off South Korea's border island of Yeonpyeong, leaving six South Korean sailors dead and 18 others injured.
  
"The greatest respectful treatment by a state is to remember and commemorate (the victims) at every opportunity," Han said during a lunch meeting with reporters.
  
Han plans to deliver a commemorative speech, which will also include a strong message of warning to North Korea, a government source said on condition of anonymity.
  
Defense ministers of the past have attended some of the previous years' anniversary ceremonies to accompany either the prime minister or president at the time, but it will be the first time for a defense minister to deliver a commemorative speech.
  
The move apparently reflects the public's growing interest in the battle following the recent release of a film depicting it.
  
"The film production of the Battle of Yeonpyeong has made the public well aware of it, so we plan to use this opportunity to reflect on its meaning," a military official said.
  
The movie, "Northern Limit Line," surpassed 1 million viewers earlier in the day, according to its distributor NEWS.
  
After watching the film on its opening day Wednesday, Han said it is important to remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives for their country.
  
On North Korea, the defense minister said the communist country could carry out a provocation "at the strategic level" around the 70th anniversary of the foundation of its ruling Workers' Party on Oct. 10.
  
"The expansion of the missile launch site (in Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province) hasn't been completed yet," he said. "It appears that it will be completed by October."
  
Such threats from the North have created the conditions for defense talks between South Korea and Japan, but any decision on a bilateral defense ministers' meeting will depend on the two countries' overall ties, Han said.
  
Relations between South Korea and Japan have only recently begun to show signs of a thaw following years of tensions over disputes related to their shared history.
  
Meanwhile, the ruling Saenuri Party also plans to mark the anniversary of the naval skirmish to raise public awareness of security issues, according to party officials.
  
Chairman Kim Moo-sung and other members of the party's leadership plan to attend Monday's anniversary ceremony and meet with the families of those who were killed in the battle.
  
They also plan to watch the film, together with some 90 young party staff members. (Yonhap)

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