Asia-Pacific

ROK, US forces raise alert level on DPRK: media

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-27 15:42
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ROK, US forces raise alert level on DPRK: media
A Republic of Korea's patrol boat drops a depth charge during a drill off the western coastal town of Taean May 27, 2010. [Agencies]

SEOUL -- The Republic of Korea (ROK) and US forces have reportedly raised their alert level on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as tensions are mounting on the Korean peninsula after an international probe blamed Pyongyang for the fatal sinking of a Seoul warship in late March, local media reported Thursday.

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ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Korea-US Combined Forces Command have raised the five-tier alert system called Watch Condition (WATCHCON) by a notch to the level two, Seoul's semi-official Yonhap News Agency reported citing unidentified sources.

The ROK's Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told the parliament earlier this week that raising the alert level is under consideration while the military is keeping a close eye on any unusual indication in the DPRK.

Conflicts between the two warring Koreas have recently reached new levels as Seoul accuses Pyongyang of a torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors and moves to take a series of punitive measures against its wartime rival, while Pyongyang responded with high rhetoric that involves threats of an "all-out war."

ROK, US forces raise alert level on DPRK: media
A Republic of Korea's patrol boat fires during a drill off the western coastal town of Taean May 27, 2010. [Agencies]