White House Condemns North Korean Attack

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2010 — The White House con­demned today’s North Kore­an artillery attack against the South Kore­an island of Yeon­pyeong.
“The Unit­ed States strong­ly con­demns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its bel­liger­ent action and to ful­ly abide by the terms of the Armistice Agree­ment,” accord­ing to a White House state­ment issued this morn­ing.

Pres­i­dent Barack Oba­ma attend­ed a late after­noon meet­ing of his senior nation­al secu­ri­ty team on the sit­u­a­tion on the Kore­an penin­su­la, accord­ing to a White House press release. The pres­i­dent was briefed by Nation­al Secu­ri­ty Advi­sor Tom Donilon, Sec­re­tary of State Hillary Rod­ham Clin­ton, Defense Sec­re­tary Robert M. Gates, Ambas­sador to the Unit­ed Nations Susan E.Rice, Chair­man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, and Army Gen. Wal­ter L. Sharp, com­man­der of U.S. Forces Korea. 

“The pres­i­dent reit­er­at­ed the unshake­able sup­port of the Unit­ed States for our ally, the Repub­lic of Korea, and dis­cussed ways to advance peace and secu­ri­ty on the Kore­an penin­su­la going for­ward,” the release says. 

The attack on the South Kore­an island of Yeon­pyeong is report­ed to have killed two and injured 15. 

The White House state­ment affirms the Unit­ed States is firm­ly com­mit­ted to the defense of South Korea and to the main­te­nance of region­al peace and stability. 

Source:
U.S. Depart­ment of Defense
Office of the Assis­tant Sec­re­tary of Defense (Pub­lic Affairs) 

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