Rival parties slam N. Korea for firing shells across border

South Korea's rival parties denounced North Korea Thursday for firing artillery shells across the inter-Korean border, voicing the need to beef up security posture to deter further provocations from the North.

Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, called on the military to raise its combat readiness as North Korea fired artillery shells targeted at loudspeakers at a South Korean front-line military unit on the western area.

“As North Korea is unpredictable and bizarre, the South's military should be on a high alert," Kim said at a hastily-arranged meeting with party members. "There is solace in that there were no human casualties, but we need to thoroughly prepare for possible additional provocations by the North."Moon Jae-in, the head of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, also called an emergency meeting with party members where he strongly denounced the North's military provocation."The North's shelling is a blatant military provocation, posing a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula," Yoo Eun-hae, the party spokeswoman, told reporters following the meeting.North Korea's provocation came as the North has vowed to retaliate against the South over Seoul's resumption of a propaganda loudspeaker campaign. Seoul suspended its psychological warfare against the North in 2004.Heightened tension on a divided peninsula has been sparked by a landmine explosion on Aug. 4 near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, which is blamed on North Korea. The North has denied its role in the blasts which left two South Korean soldiers seriously injured. (Yonhap)

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