N. Korea slams S. Korean air force chief

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea blasted the head of the South Korean air force Sunday for a comment he made stressing high-tech military coordination to maintain an effective striking capability, denouncing it as "a declaration of war."

North Korea routinely uses its official media to criticize South Korea and its ranking officials. But the statement by the Korean Central Television, monitored in Seoul, comes as relations between the two countries have degraded to one the lowest points in their history.

South Korean Air Force Commander Lee Kae-hoon said earlier this month at a
parliamentary hearing that his military is seeking to obtain "an effective
ability to strike core targets by networking" related units and armed forces.
Citing a recent combined exercise between South Korea and U.S. forces and a
high-tech central monitoring system used by the South Korean command, the North's
broadcaster said Lee "revealed the attitude prone to a preemptive strike."
"It amounts to little more than a declaration of war," it said.
Inter-Korean relations eroded considerably this year after the inauguration of
hardline South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who has drawn a string of bitter
criticisms from Pyongyang.
The North regularly condemns President Lee, calling him a traitor, and recently
threatened through its official media to sever all ties with the South.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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