Article Posted on : - Nov 25, 2010

SEOUL (AFP): South Korea will strengthen its military forces on five islands bordering North Korea following a deadly artillery attack by Pyongyang, the presidential palace said Thursday.

The government "has decided to sharply increase military forces, including ground troops, on the five islands in the Yellow Sea and allocate more of its budget toward dealing with North Korea's asymmetrical threats," said senior public affairs secretary Hong Sang-Pyo.

He said the military, which has faced media criticism for an allegedly weak response to Tuesday's shelling, would also change its rules of engagement.

Hong described existing rules as "rather passive" and focused on stopping a conflict escalating. The new rules would "change the paradigm", Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying without elaborating.

The decision was made at an emergency meeting of security and economic ministers, presided over by President Lee Myung-Bak.

The North's shelling killed four people and inflicted widespread damage on Yeonpyeong, one of several islands near the tense and disputed Yellow Sea border with the North.