S Korea appoints new defence minister

LONDON. November 26. KAZINFORM South Korea has named a presidential security aide as defence minister, after his predecessor quit following a North Korean artillery assault; Kazinform refers to BBC News.

Lee Hee-Won replaces Kim Tae-Young, who was criticised after North Korea surprised the South by shelling an island near a disputed maritime border.

Mr Lee is a career military man who is said to be on good relations with the US, South Korea's biggest ally.

Tuesday's barrage killed four people and sent regional tensions soaring.

The artillery shelling - which killed two civilians and two marines - was one of the worst incidents between the two Koreas since the end of the Korean war in 1953, which concluded without a peace treaty.

President Lee Myung-Bak accepted Mr Kim's resignation "to improve the atmosphere in the military and to handle the series of incidents," a presidential official said; Kazinform cites BBC News.

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