SKorea to make islands near NKorea fortresses

President Lee Myung-bak's pledge follows in the wake of a meeting with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff who flew to Seoul to give reassurances of the U.S. commitment to the country's defense

At the same time top US, Japanese, and South Korean diplomats gathered in Washington in a demonstration of unity. North Korea was jointly warned to stop its "provocative and belligerent" behaviour and abandon its nuclear arms program.

Tensions are still high on the Korean peninsula following a shelling by North Korean of Yeonpyeong Island on 23 November, a pocket of military bases and fishing communities along the western sea border. The attack killed two South Korean marines and two civilians - reducing homes and shops to charred rubble.

Lee affirmed that he intends to "gradually push to make (the five front-line Yellow Sea islands) military fortresses" and create jobs for local residents allowing them to continue living on all of the islands.

Following the shelling by North Korea, most of the 1,300 civilians on Yeonpyeong Island fled. Many are now living in a public bathhouse that has been converted into a refugee centre in the port city of Incheon.

In recent weeks, Lee has come under fire himself, criticized for a military response to the shelling that was deemed too slow and too weak. In attempts to offset this perception, he ordered reinforcements for the thousands of South Korean troops stationed on Yeonpyeong and the four other border islands, as well as top-level weaponry and upgraded rules of engagement.

Even while promising more fortifications on the islands, the South Korean government also has worked to show worried citizens that it will also assist the islanders. Many Yeonpyeong residents have said in emotional TV and newspaper interviews that they don't know whether they want to go back to their villages.