In brief: S. Korea offers reprisal or talks

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s president vowed today not to let North Korea “covet even an inch of our territory.” But he also opened the door to possible peace talks, saying North Korean disarmament could lead to South Korean economic aid.

Lee Myung-bak, addressing the country in a new year’s speech, said the Nov. 23 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, which killed four and has spiked fears of war, was a transformational event. Seoul, he said, would treat it as the United States did the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and “overhaul our defense posture.”

However, he said, “if the North exhibits sincerity, we have both the will and the plan to drastically enhance economic cooperation.” Washington and Seoul have demanded that the North fulfill past nuclear disarmament commitments before allowing the resumption of stalled international aid-for-disarmament talks.

Still, the overwhelming focus of Lee’s comments on North Korea was a tough promise to improve South Korea’s defenses and to hit back hard if attacked again.

Cartel announces one-month truce

MORELIA, Mexico – A letter purportedly signed by La Familia drug cartel announcing a one-month truce circulated Sunday in the western state of Michoacan.

In the one-page message, distributed by e-mail and in some cities door by door, the gang claims it will halt all crime activity during January to demonstrate that the cartel “is not responsible for the criminal acts federal authorities are reporting to the media.”

Prosecutors have not verified the letter’s authenticity, according to an employee of the Michoacan bureau of the federal attorney general’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The government says La Familia has been weakened by a recent string of arrests and deaths of top leaders.