N Korea deploys special forces amid talks with South
North Korea has deployed its special forces to the north of the de facto border with neighboring South, despite ongoing talks between the two countries, aimed at defusing the dangerously-escalated bilateral tensions.
On Monday, Pyongyang deployed 10 amphibious landing crafts carrying the troops to a naval base, located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, the South’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
Monday marked the third day of bilateral talks aimed at de-escalation of the inter-Korean tensions, which rose alarmingly last week following a rare exchange of fire.
According to reports, the crossfire was triggered by North Korea, which had shot several shells in the general direction of one of the South’s border propaganda units.
Earlier in the month, South Korea restarted its propaganda warfare against the North after an 11-year-long hiatus. Seoul made the decision after blaming Pyongyang for a landmine explosion that severely injured two South Korean soldiers who were patrolling the inter-Korean demilitarized zone.
Although, North Korea has denied the accusation that it had planted the mines, South Korea's President Park Geun-hye has insisted in the negotiations that without a clear North Korean apology for the blast, the anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts will continue.
Meanwhile, the United States, which has nearly 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea, has pledged its commitment to the defense of its key Asian ally.
The South Korean defense ministry said Seoul and Washington are reviewing the possible deployment of "strategic US military assets" on the peninsula.
On Saturday, eight South Korean and US fighter jets swept through the sky of South Korea in a show of force simulating bombings of enemy targets.
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