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services from December 1 in protest against South Korea’s hard-line<br />

policy. The number of South Koreans allowed to stay in the Kaesông<br />

Industrial Complex would be halved. 383<br />

On January 17, 20<strong>09</strong>, North Koreas’s military threatened a<br />

“posture of all-out confrontation” against South Korea. In particular,<br />

intrusions by South Korean vessels into North Korean waters would<br />

not be tolerated. The military would preserve the sea border the North<br />

claimed in the Yellow Sea. In response, the South Korean Joint Chiefs<br />

of Staff issued a border alert and increased reconnaissance flights. On<br />

January 30, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that<br />

the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea referred in a<br />

statement “...to the south Korean conservative authorities’ reckless<br />

moves to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK.” Furthermore,<br />

“The inter-Korean relations have reached such pass that there is neither<br />

way to improve them nor hope to bring them on track. The confrontation<br />

between the north and the south in the political and military fields has been<br />

put to such extremes that the inter-Korean relations have reached the brink<br />

of war.” 384<br />

383_ Jin, op. cit., November 18, 2008: “N.K. to suspend Gaeseong tour Dec. 1,” The<br />

Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/, November 24, 2008); Jung, “N.<br />

Korea Asks Seoul to Help Modernize Military Hot-lines,” The Korea Times<br />

(http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/, October 27, 2008); Kim, “Military talks with N.<br />

Korea end in failure,” The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/, October<br />

2, 2008): “N.K. criticizes anti-North leaflets,” The Korea Herald (http://www.<br />

koreaherald.co.kr/, October 28, 2008); Lee, “N.K. boots out Seoul’s Gaeseong<br />

officials,” The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/, March 27, 2008);<br />

Swedish officer, oral interview, March 13, 20<strong>09</strong>. Original quotation marks except<br />

for “traitor.” “Kaesông” is spelled “Gaeseong” due to the Ministry of Education<br />

system of spelling.<br />

384_ KCNA, “DPRK to Scrap All Points Agreed with S. Korea over Political and Military<br />

Issues,” (http://www.kcna.co.jp/index.e-htm, January 30, 20<strong>09</strong>); The Korea Herald,<br />

“N.K. message,” (http://www.koreaherald. co.kr/, January 19, 20<strong>09</strong>). The first<br />

quotation is original.<br />

Expanding Relations but Continuing Tension since 2000<br />

507

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