The "Dear Leader" has ordered the army to be "ready to fight" in an escalation of tension between the two Koreas. The South Korean government returns to a terminology abandoned six years ago and defines Pyongyang the most serious threat to the nation. Joint military exercises of the navy of the United States and South Korea to prevent new attacks from the North.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Kim Jong-il has ordered the army to be on alert and "ready to fight" with a view to a possible conflict reported South Korean agency Yonhap News, according to which the "Dear Leader" order was given by a senior official of the North Korean army. Meanwhile, the Seoul government has decided to rename North Korea as "enemy number one", a definition abandoned six years ago during the maximum effort in the path of reconciliation between the two countries.

The South Korean agency reports that last May 20 a top military official said Pyongyang declared " We do not hope for war but if South Korea, with the US and Japan on its back, tries to attack us, Kim Jong-il has ordered us to finish the task of unification left undone during the ... (Korean) war "

The "Dear Leader" has placed troops on alert in response to the threat of Seoul that means "to make the North pay the price” for the sinking of the Cheonan. The South Korean government refused to confirm the news reported by Yonhap, but it follows a few hours after the announcement of joint naval exercises between the South Korean and U.S. Navy.

The exercises planned between the U.S. and South Korea also include steps to prevent attacks and submarines deployed in a “show of force" towards Pyongyang. Yesterday U.S. President Barack Obama - confirming full support for Seoul - warned the North Korean regime to end the "belligerent behavior" to apologize and "punish those responsible" for the sinking of the corvette, which caused the death of 46 sailors.

Meanwhile, South Korea has decided to rename the North as "enemy number one", restoring a term abandoned over six years ago. This was announced today by a government official in Seoul, explaining that the decision is the result of the March 26 attack on the Cheonan. "It is normal to restore the concept of enemy number one" said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

The term was used for the first time by a South Korean government in 1995 after a senior North Korean official threatened to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire" during the talks - at the military level - between representatives of the two countries which had taken place the previous year.

• korea
• military
• alert
• north
• south
• cheonan
• navy
• exercises
• US
• war