North Korea test fired artillery shells into waters near a disputed border on Wednesday, provoking a South Korean volley of warning shots, raising tensions between the rivals as they inch towards disarmament talks.
South Korea issued a verbal warning after three shots landed near their tense maritime border at around 1 p.m., and then in a tit-for-tat, the South returned three artillery rounds towards the same area about an hour later.
While I was wrong because I expected the South Koreans to launch a major air strike on North Korean artillery positions after the last shelling incident at Yeonpyeong, this prompt response in kind I think reflects a resolve to match North Korea at whatever level North Korea chooses to go. If North Korea hits South Korean territory again, I think the South Koreans saddle up and go north with a major retaliation.
Just sitting and taking it is no longer South Korean policy.
