Obama `outraged` by N. Korea`s shelling of S. Korea

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 Kyodo -
U.S. President Barack Obama is ''outraged'' by North Korea's firing of
artillery rounds at a South Korean island and wants the North to abide by the
armistice agreement that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War, the White House said
Tuesday.
''The president thinks that North Korea is not living up to their obligations
and they ought to live up to the obligations that are signed in the armistice
agreement and international law,'' Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill
Burton told reporters.
Later in the day, Obama told South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on the phone
that the United States ''remains firmly and fully committed'' to the defense of
South Korea, the White House said.
During the talks, Obama and Lee also agreed to hold joint military exercises
and enhanced training in the days ahead to underscore the strength of their
alliance and commitment to peace and security in the region, it said.
Obama also ''strongly condemned'' North Korea's deadly shelling of the South
Korean island and called on the North to cease provocative actions and ''fully
abide by'' the armistice pact.
He also told Lee that Washington ''stands shoulder to shoulder'' with Seoul and
it will work with the international community ''to strongly condemn this
outrageous action by North Korea,'' according to the White House.
In an interview with ABC News, Obama also said, ''We want to make sure all
parties in the region recognize that this is a serious and ongoing threat that
needs to be dealt with.''
Obama also called on China to tell North Korea that ''there are a set of
international rules'' it needs to abide by.
State Department deputy acting spokesman Mark Toner told a press briefing that
the United States will consult with all members of the six-party
denuclearization talks, including China, and seek ''a measured and unified
approach'' toward North Korea.
The six-party talks, which involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the
United States, have been deadlocked since December 2008.
Earlier in the day, North Korea fired dozens of rounds of artillery at a South
Korean island near the western sea border, killing two South Korean soldiers,
and warned of further strikes, according to the South Korean military.
A Pentagon official told reporters that the United States has no plan to send
additional military forces to the peninsula at this stage.
He also said that it is ''too soon'' to discuss whether the United States
should boost deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.
Observers say that North Korea has taken the provocative action with an eye to
prompting Washington to agree to hold bilateral talks with Pyongyang.
But the U.S. government has reiterated its position that it is willing to hold
dialogue with North Korea only if it halts provocative actions and complies
with its international obligations to denuclearize.
Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said in a
report that North Korea's move is designed to ''force the United States and
South Korea to abandon pressure tactics, including sanctions'' on Pyongyang.
Klingner also criticized the Obama administration's policy of focusing on
seeking early ratification of a new treaty on nuclear arms reduction with
Russia while North Korea ''is running amok.''
Tuesday's incident follows recent reports that North Korea may be engaged in a
uranium enrichment program.
==Kyodo