YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea — Military maneuvers planned by South Korean troops did not take place Saturday because of bad weather on a border island shelled by North Korea last month, as the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting at Russia’s request amid concerns over rising tensions on the divided peninsula.
The North warned Friday that it would strike even harder than before if the South went ahead with planned one-day firing drills it says it will conduct sometime before Tuesday. Four people died last month in the North’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island near the tense sea border.
The U.S. supports South Korea, saying it has a right to conduct the military exercise. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its “extreme concern” Friday over the drills and urged South Korea to cancel them to prevent a further escalation of tensions.
The Security Council scheduled emergency closed-door consultations for this morning. The Associated Press
