- 지난해 서해교전 당시 북한 경비정 PCF684호(215t)가 우리 해군의 공격으로 화염에 휩싸인 채 또다른 북한 경비정(사진 오른쪽)에 의해 황해도 등산곶 쪽으로 예인되고 있는 장면
北선박 저지훈련, 다음 '액션' 암시
'북핵' 해외순방 호주 수상, 북한에 강경 발언 존 하워드 호주 수상은 북한에 대항하여 전쟁으로 가는 것도 다양한 선택중에 하나로 열려있다며, 계획된 북한선박저지국제작전은 깡패국가에 대한 '다음 행동'의 선행지표라고 말했다.
하워드는 일본, 필리핀, 한국을 방문하기 위해 7월 13일 떠나면서, 북한이 취하고 있는 위협은 "대단히 우려스럽다"고 말했다. 북한에 대한 토의가 이번 여행의 큰 부분을 차지하고 있다. 하워드는 외교적 해결을 포기하지 않았다고 주장했으나, 북한 선박의 저지에 관여하기로 한 호주의 결정은 문제에의 개입 신호라고 주장했다.
"우리는 이제 곧 저지훈련에 참가하려 하고 있다. 우리는 분명히 그 다음 우리가 추구할 수 있는 행동은 모두 열어 두겠다"고 그는 ABC방송 아시아 퍼시픽 포커스 프로그램에서 말했다.
그리고 하워드는 처음으로 지난주 브리스베인에서 합의를 본 합의서의 일부로서 다른 10개국과 함께 떠맡기로 한 "'북한선박 저지 프로젝트'는 군사분쟁으로 이어질 때에 대비한 프로그램이 될 것"이라고 말했다.
"그런데, 곧바로 군사행동으로 들어간다기보다, 저지행동으로 들어 갈 때 필요한, 국민들이 해야 할 실천 사항을 훈련시키는 것이다."
"불가피한 것은 아니지만 분명히, 그러한 경우가 올 때는 국민들이 보다 잘 대처할 수 있을 것이다. 그러나 그러한 일이 필요 없기를 바란다"고 말했다.
다음은 호주 수상의 해외순방과 관련 북한에 대한 경고를 담은 지 7월 14일자 기사 전문.
Prime Minister John Howard has left open the option of going to war against North Korea, saying a planned international operation to intercept its vessels could be a precursor to "other action" against the rogue state.
As he left Australia yesterday for a visit to Japan, the Philippines and South Korea, Mr Howard said he was "very worried" about the threat posed by North Korea. Discussions about the communist state will form a large part of his trip.
Mr Howard insisted he had not given up on a diplomatic solution, but he said Australia's decision to become involved in the interdiction of North Korean vessels was a signal of engagement in the issue.
"We are, at the moment, going to take part in interdiction exercises. We obviously keep open what options we might pursue after that," he told the ABC's Asia Pacific Focus program.
And Mr Howard acknowledged for the first time that the interdiction project - which it will undertake with 10 other countries as part of an agreement reached last week in Brisbane - could serve as a bridging exercise to military conflict.
"Well, they're exercises to give people practice at interdiction, rather than straight military," he said.
"Not necessarily, but obviously, if those exercises are valuable, then if some time down the track some other kind of action were required, then people would be better prepared, but we hope it's not necessary."
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd accused the Prime Minister of engaging in "fast and loose talk".
"We're a small country, we're in the region. Let's be measured and calm about this," he told the Ten Network.
"I've long argued that (North Korea) represents a greater threat to regional and national security than Iraq ever did.
"But having said that, we need to make sure that the measures we implement here don't make the problem worse but in fact reduce the threat from North Korea and the threat of proliferation."
Mr Howard said he did not believe military action was inevitable, and he would never work on the assumption that diplomatic efforts would fail.
"But, at the same time, we have to communicate to the North Koreans that the world's concerns are not going to disappear unless and until there's a proper response by North Korea to those concerns," he said.
Last week's agreement to pursue interdiction against North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons was forged at a Brisbane meeting at which the US, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Canada, Japan, Portugal and the Netherlands were represented, as well as Australia.
Mr Howard said on his departure yesterday that he was still anxious to have China involved. The US also seeks Chinese involvement, and refuses to deal with North Korea unilaterally.
Further moves to crack down on North Korea's illicit trade are expected this week when Mr Howard and Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi meet in Tokyo over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Ahead of the Wednesday meeting, Japanese officials have reportedly predicted the two prime ministers will conclude an agreement aimed at tackling the illicit trade in weapons, drugs and counterfeit currency.
In April a North Korean ship offloaded 50 kilograms of heroin off Victoria's coast at Lorne, sparking a diplomatic row. A further 70 kilograms were found in May.
Japan's biggest daily, Yomiuri, reported yesterday that the agreement would beef up the export control system in the Asia-Pacific rim region, with increased customs inspections of cargoes linked to North Korea.
The latest moves come amid further confirmation that North Korea has begun reprocessing some of the 8000 spent nuclear fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear facility. According to the reports, the US has detected krypton 85, a byproduct of the reprocessing, in the air in the vicinity of Yongbyon. North Korea claims it has reprocessed all the rods. The reports, carried by US and Japanese media, did not specify how air samples were obtained.
The 8000 rods could produce enough plutonium to make six to 12 nuclear weapons.