YEONPYEONG, South Korea, (Reuters) – South Korea’s defence minister resigned yesterday, two days after a deadly artillery attack by North Korea that stoked criticism about the pace of Seoul’s response.
Kim Tae-young became the first political victim of the shelling as China expressed muted criticism of forthcoming joint U.S-South Korean military exercises in the Yellow Sea.
President Lee Myung-bak accepted his minister’s resignation “to improve the atmosphere in the military and to handle the series of incidents,” a presidential official said.
Kim also tendered his resignation in May after the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March but Lee had asked him to stay on. The Cheonan attack, in which 46 sailors were killed, was also blamed on Pyongyang.
North Korea, a reclusive and unpredictable state that has defied international efforts to halt its nuclear ambitions, fired shells at the island of Yeonpyeong off the peninsula’s west coast on Tuesday, killing two civilians and two soldiers and destroying dozens of houses.
South Korean troops fired back 13 minutes later, causing unknown damage. Members of Lee’s own party and opposition lawmakers accused the military of responding too slowly.
The government was also criticised for its perceived weak response to the Cheonan incident. North Korea has denied responsibility for that attack.
While China objected to the joint military exercises starting this weekend, North Korea threatened further attacks on the South if there were more “provocations.”
Seoul said it would increase troops on islands near North Korea after the bombardment, which caused a sharp spike in tension in the world’s fastest-growing region.
