South Korean marines patrol Yeonpyeong island, which was shelled by the North last month N Korean behaviour ‘must change’
South Korean marines patrol Yeonpyeong island, which was shelled by the North last month The US, South Korea and Japan are to hold talks in Washington shortly on ways to deal with North Korea.
China’s president earlier warned US President Barack Obama that tensions on the Korean peninsula could get out of control if not properly handled.
It comes two weeks after North Korea’s deadly attack on a South Korean island in answer to military drills by Seoul.
The International Criminal Court says it will investigate whether the act constituted war crimes by the North.
In a statement, the Court said it would examine the shelling of Yeonpyeong island on 23 November, in which two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed.
The situation on the peninsula remains highly uncertain. On Monday, South Korea pushed ahead with a new series of major live-fire exercises despite warnings from the North.
The drills are spread off South Korea’s east, west and southern coastlines; the most contentious area, along the disputed western sea border, has been largely excluded.
South Korea’s new defence minister has said he would use air strikes against the North if it attacked civilians again.
Regional powers are stepping up diplomatic efforts to avoid any further conflict.
North Korea: Timeline 2010
26 March: South Korean warship, Cheonan, sinks, killing 46 sailors
20 May: Panel says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship; Pyongyang denies involvement
July-September: South Korea and US hold military exercises; US places more sanctions on Pyongyang
29 September: North holds rare party congress seen as part of father-to-son succession move
29 October: Troops from North and South Korea exchange fire across the land border
12 November: North Korea shows US scientist new – undeclared – uranium enrichment facility
23 November: North shells island of Yeonpyeong, killing at least four South Koreans
27 Nov-1 Dec: South Korea and US hold joint military drills
6-12 Dec: South Korea stages live-fire military exercises
Little comfort for displaced islanders Division and tension in South Korea Q&A: Inter-Korean crisis
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to meet her South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Washington shortly.
China – the North’s most important ally – has not been invited, but the three are expected to discuss Beijing’s proposal for emergency regional talks on the crisis.
In a telephone call earlier, Mr Obama urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to work with the US to send “a clear message” to North Korea that its provocations against the South were “unacceptable”.
The BBC’s defence and security correspondent Nick Childs says the mere fact of the phone call between the presidents underlines how seriously both Beijing and Washington take the latest tensions.
He says the read-out from the conversation also illustrates the different perspectives: Beijing calling for restraint on all sides and refusing to blame Pyongyang for the recent flare-up; Washington clearly looking to Beijing to lean on North Korea.
There is clearly some frustration among US officials over China’s stance, coupled with questions over just how much influence the Chinese have over the North Korean leadership, our correspondent says.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the firing exercises by warships and artillery units on land were being held in 29 locations, including one of five islands near the disputed Yellow Sea border with the North.
The Northern Limit Line, the maritime border declared by UN forces at the end of the Korean War in 1953, is not recognised by Pyongyang.
Japan and the US are also holding large scale military exercises, their biggest ever.
The exercises, called “Keen Sword”, involve 44,000 personnel, 400 aircraft and 60 warships.
The drills were planned before the North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong island.
They are being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Japanese-US alliance and last until 10 December.
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