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NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council, meeting in emergency session Sunday, was unable to agree on a course of action to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, South Korea said it would begin another round of live-fire military exercises Monday near its border with the North, Yonhap News Agency reported.
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"The military has decided to conduct the firing drill today (Monday)," an unidentified South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official told Yonhap. "The exact time for the firing drill will depend on the weather conditions around the island area."
The exercise, which was to begin after 1 p.m. local time and last less than 2 hours, was to take place south of the inter-Korean maritime border, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said. About 2,000 rounds of ammunition were on hand for the training session.
"Multiple weapons, including K-9 self-propelled howitzers, will be mobilized," he said.
North Korea has vowed a swift retaliation if the exercises are held, prompting Russia, China and the United States to issue calls for restraint, The Washington Post said.
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters after the Security Council meeting in New York, differences among the 15 members of the Security Council would "not likely to be bridged," the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
Still, Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said his delegation has not given up on having U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon send a special envoy to Pyongyang and Seoul to try to get the two Koreas to pull back from their aggressive stances.
"That idea of the secretary-general appointing an envoy did receive considerable support, strong support I could say from a number of members of the Security Council," Churkin said. "So I hope that idea can still be pursued. Because now we have a situation of very serious political tension and no game plan on the diplomatic side."
The closed-door meeting came at the request of Russia, CNN said. A draft statement proposed by Russia had stressed the need "to ensure a de-escalation of tension."
The dispute centers on Yeonpyeong Island, about 7 miles from the North Korean coast, although home to a South Korean military base. On Nov. 23, North Korea shelled the island, killing four South Koreans.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was in Pyongyang, acting as an independent diplomat. He told CNN he had a 90-minute talk with North Korean military leader Maj. Gen. Pak Rim Su Sunday morning.
He said he suggested a direct military hot line between North and South Korea, as well as creating a military commission featuring representatives from Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington. Richardson said Pak seemed "very open" to the ideas.
