Saturday, December 18, 2010

Most serious crisis on the Korean peninsula since 1953


New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson provided North Korea with a series of proposals Saturday in what he described as a "good meeting" with the country's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Gye Gwan. 

Richardson told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer the situation "by all accounts right now is the most serious crisis on the Korean peninsula since the 1953 armistice which ended the Korean war."

Prior to this, Russia summoned the South Korean and US envoys over the live-fire drill planned by Seoul amid mounting tensions with North Korea. As a member-state of the six-party negotiations on the Korean peninsula crisis, Russia hosted the North Korean foreign minister last week in a bid to help find a way out of the escalating dispute.

South Korea announced that scheduled military drills likely would not be held this weekend due to an adverse weather forecast. The drills will be held only if the weather improves in the areas surrounding Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The North Korean military threatened on Friday to strike back if South Korea goes ahead with its drill.

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