S Koreans on full alert against North

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has called on the army to thoroughly prepare for any additional provocations by Pyongyang during the joint naval exercises by Seoul and Washington.

”There is a possibility North Korea may take provocative actions during the (joint) exercise, so make complete preparations based on cooperation between South Korean and US forces to counter any provocation,” state-run Yonhap news agency quoted Lee as saying while addressing military officials in the South Korean capital of Seoul on Saturday.

The United States and South Korea are to begin their long-planned war games on Sunday, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

The drills are to take place less than a week after North Korea’s artillery attack on the small island of Yeonpyeong. Four people — two South Korean marines and two construction workers — lost their lives and injured several more. Many homes were also set ablaze in the strike.

The populated Yeonpyeong Island, located in the Yellow Sea, has long been a flash point between Seoul and Pyongyang.

North Korea has warned that unpredictable consequences could follow the upcoming naval exercises.

On March 2, the 1,200-ton South Korean Cheonan warship sank near the inter-Korea maritime border. The tragic incident led to the deaths of 46 South Korean sailors.

Seoul accuses Pyongyang of involvement in the sinking of its warship. Pyongyang, however, says aluminum alloy fragments recovered by South Korea prove that no North Korean torpedo was involved in the maritime accident.

Meanwhile, South Korean military has also decided to strengthen its force on five islands close to North Korea as a measure to prevent the situation from escalating in the event of an armed clash, The Korea Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

The report added that Seoul plans to engage in active diplomacy with the United States, China and countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula to seek punitive action against Pyongyang for Tuesday’s artillery attack on the Yeonpyeong Island.

Almost half a million South Koreans were killed as a result of the 1950-1953 Korean War. North Korea suffered 290,000 casualties in the conflict, according to data from official Chinese sources.

The war ended in an armistice, with neither side able to claim outright victory.