韩国情报机构的负责人说，北韩上个星期对韩国一个岛屿发动致命的炮击之后再次袭击韩国的可能性非常高。韩国联合通讯社说，韩国国家情报局局长元世勋星期三在一个议会委员会举行的会议上做出了北韩再次发动袭击的预测。
联合通讯社援引执政党一名国会议员的话说，元世勋对国会委员会表示，北韩在11月23号袭击延坪岛是为了分散人们对其内部问题的关注。这位议员援引元世勋的话说，北韩领导人面临民众对国家糟糕的经济状况以及最高领导人金正日显然计划把权力移交给他最小的日子金正恩的做法日益感到不满的情绪。
中国呼吁所有各方避免加剧该地区的紧张局势。在北京，中国官方的新华社援引中国外交部长杨洁篪的话说，所有各方应当保持冷静和克制。杨洁篪是对这一危机做出评论的最高级别的中国官员。
美国和韩国星期三结束了在黄海举行的一次大规模海军演习。韩国国防部官员说，他们正在就尽早与美国再次举行一次大规模军事演习一事进行商谈。
South Korea’s spy chief says North Korea is highly likely to attack the South again, following its deadly shelling of a South Korean island last week. The Yonhap news agency says South Korean National Intelligence Service director Won Sei-hoon made the prediction of another North Korean attack during a parliamentary committee meeting Wednesday.
Yonhap quotes a ruling party lawmaker as saying Won told the committee that North Korea attacked Yeonpyeong island on November 23 to distract attention from its internal problems. The lawmaker quotes Won as saying North Korea’s leadership faces growing public dissatisfaction with the country’s poor economic situation and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il’s apparent plan to transfer power to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.
China is appealing for all parties to avoid inflaming tensions in the region. In Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency quotes Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi as saying all sides should “keep calm and exercise restraint.” He is the highest-ranking Chinese official to comment publicly on the crisis.
The United States and South Korea ended a major naval exercise in the Yellow Sea Wednesday. South Korean Defense Ministry officials said they are in talks for another major exercise with the United States to take place as early as this month.