Ng Chee Meng, Sun Xueling join PAP’s Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC team

The former Chief of Defence Force and the Temasek Holdings investment director are new faces on the People’s Action Party’s six-member slate

The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Saturday (Aug 22) officially named its slate of candidates for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the coming General Election (GE).

Joining the six-member GRC team are Mr Ng Chee Meng, 47, the former Chief of Defence Force, and Ms Sun Xueling, 36, who is an investment director with Temasek Holdings.

Mr Ng and Ms Sun will take over from current Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Mr Gan Thiam Poh, who has been announced as part of the PAP’s slate in Ang Mo Kio GRC; and Ms Penny Low, who is retiring from politics.

The PAP team won in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in the 2011 GE, beating the challengers from the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) with 64.79 per cent of the votes.

The SDA has said it will contest the constituency again.

The six PAP candidates for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC are:

Mr Teo Chee Hean, 60, Deputy Prime Minister

Mr Teo is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and the Minister for Home Affairs. He previously held Cabinet portfolios for Defence, Education and Environment.

A former career soldier, he became Chief of Navy in 1991 with the rank of Rear Admiral. He left the service to join politics in 1992, when he was elected as an MP for Marine Parade GRC in a by-election. He has served as MP in Pasir Ris since 1997.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, 47, Minister of State for Trade and Industry

Mr Teo is concurrently Mayor for the North East District. He was first elected as MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC in 2006, and served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, as well as Transport, from 2008 to 2011. He led Singapore’s successful bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Mr Zainal Sapari, 49, assistant secretary-general, National Trades Union Congress

Mr Zainal chairs the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council. The former Ministry of Education superintendent left a career in teaching to join politics in 2011.

Dr Janil Puthucheary, 42, senior consultant, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Dr Puthucheary is trained as a medical doctor. He was first elected into Parliament in 2011. He is also Medical Director for Faculty Development at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

Mr Ng Chee Meng, 47, former Chief of Defence Force

Mr Ng retired from the Singapore Armed Forces on Aug 18, after nearly three decades in service and 29 months as Chief of Defence Force. If elected, he would make history as the highest-ranking career soldier to become a Member of Parliament (MP). He is married with two daughters.

Ms Sun Xueling, 36, investment director at Temasek Holdings

Ms Sun has been helping out at grassroots events since 2001 in Buona Vista and Punggol West.

Desmond Choo, Cheng Li Hui join PAP’s Tampines GRC team

Former Hougang candidate Mr Choo and first-timer Ms Cheng are the new faces in the People’s Action Party’s Tampines slate. MPs Mah Bow Tan and Irene Ng will not contest the coming polls.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Saturday (Aug 22) officially named its new candidates for the Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the coming General Election (GE).

Joining the five-member GRC are Ms Cheng Li Hui, a first-time candidate, and Mr Desmond Choo, who lost his bid for the single seat of Hougang in the 2011 GE to the Workers’ Party’s (WP) Yaw Shin Leong.

In a by-election held in 2012 after Mr Yaw was expelled from the WP over an extramarital affair, Mr Choo lost again, this time to WP candidate Png Eng Huat.

Mr Choo and Ms Cheng will replace current Tampines GRC Members of Parliament (MPs) Mah Bow Tan and Irene Ng, who are stepping down from politics.

Mr Mah and Ms Ng were on the team along with Mr Heng Swee Keat, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Masagos Zulkifli that contested Tampines GRC in 2011, beating the National Solidarity Party (NSP) with 57.22 per cent of the vote share.

That NSP team had featured Mr Goh Meng Seng and Mr Syafarin Syarif, who have since left to form the People’s Power Party. Nevertheless, the NSP has said it will contest Tampines again this year.

The five PAP candidates for Tampines GRC are:

Mr Heng Swee Keat, 54, Minister for Education

Mr Heng has been Education Minister and an elected MP for Tampines GRC since 2011. He was the Principal Private Secretary to then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew from 1997 to 2000, before becoming the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2001. From 2005 to 2011, Mr Heng worked as the managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Baey Yam Keng, 44, Member of Parliament

Mr Baey served as an  MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC from 2006 to 2011 before moving to Tampines GRC for the 2011 GE. He chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Culture, Community  and Youth. He was a managing director at a large public relations firm before resigning in 2012 to focus on politics.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli, 52, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office

Mr Masagos is also the Second Minister for both Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. He has been an MP for Tampines GRC since 2006. Mr Masagos was formerly the Senior Parliamentary Secretary and then Minister of State for Education from 2006 to 2011. Prior to entering politics, he worked for SingTel from 1988 to 2006, rising to the position of CEO of SingTel Global Offices.

Ms Cheng Li Hui, 39, deputy CEO, Hai Leck Holdings

Ms Cheng has been a Councillor in the Northwest CDC since 2004. She  is also vice-chairman of the Citizens Consultative Committee in Tampines East. 

Mr Desmond Choo, 37, director of youth development, National Trades Union Congress

Mr Choo is concurrently NTUC’s deputy director of industrial relations, a post he had previously held up to May 2013 when he left for the private sector after standing in Hougang in the 2011 GE and 2012 by-election. He rejoined the union in April this year, after serving as Senior Vice President of investments at Kestrel Capital.

Mr Choo started his career in the Singapore police force. He was appointed second adviser to Changkat grassroots organisations in February this year.

DEPARTING CANDIDATES

The two new candidates will replace Mr Mah Bow Tan, 66, and Ms Irene Ng, 51, who will not be running in the coming elections.

Mr Mah has served as MP for Tampines GRC for 27 years, since 1988. He was the Minister for National Development from 1999 to 2011, the Minister for Environment from 1993 to 1995, and the Minister for Communications from 1991 to 1999. He first entered politics at the 1984 GE, where he lost to Opposition veteran Chiam See Tong in a contest for the Potong Pasir single seat.

Ms Ng has served as MP for Tampines GRC since 2001. She is a writer-in-residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and spent much of her pre-politics career as a journalist. She was also a director at the National Trades Union Congress from 2006 to 2008.

Apply early for passports to avoid last-minute rush: ICA

With the upcoming September school holidays, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) reminds Singapore citizens to apply for a new passport early, to avoid a last-minute rush.

With the upcoming school holidays in September, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday (Aug 21) reminded Singapore citizens to apply for a new passport early to avoid a last-minute rush. 

In a news release, ICA also said Singapore citizens whose passports expire in less than six months should apply for a new one to avoid facing any inconveniences during their travels. Many countries require a passport to be valid for at least six months as part of their entry requirements, ICA explained.

Singapore citizens can apply for their passports by using the following methods:

Online: Via the ICA website

Post: By mailing the completed application form to "ICA Building (Passport Unit), 10 Kallang Road, #08-00, Singapore 208718"

Deposit boxes: By dropping the completed application form in the deposit boxes located outside or within the ICA Building

Over the counter: By submitting the application at Level 3, ICA Building

ICA also said applications submitted through the website, post and deposit boxes will be entitled to a S$10 rebate from the S$80 passport application fee. 

Successful applicants will be notified by post to collect their new passport once it is ready. Collection can be done over the counter at the ICA Building, via iCollect - a self-service machine at ICA, or at some SingPost outlets in Singapore. 

New passports issued will be valid for five years. Passports issued for subsequent applications will be valid for five years, plus the remaining validity of the existing passport, capped at five years and nine months, ICA said. 

Further information is available at ICA's website. 

School content being cut to focus on critical learning: Heng Swee Keat

TODAY reports: Education Minister Heng Swee Keat is confident that Singapore's education system will stand young Singaporeans in good stead: “In the coming years, our students will be better able to empathise, to communicate, to imagine, and these qualities will prepare them better for the future.”

There will be greater emphasis in the education system here on students’ application of knowledge in the coming years, even in the post-secondary institutions - be it the polytechincs, the Institute of Technical Education or the universities, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told TODAY in an interview earlier this week.

Since the introduction of the “teach less, learn more” policy in 2005, up to 20 per cent of content has been reduced from syllabuses implemented across the primary, secondary and pre-university levels. There has also been a shift away from rote learning, as policymakers respond to concerns over the amount of content being taught in the schools and the cramming that students do before examinations.

But of late, a different sort of complaints among parents has surfaced, particularly on social media: Exam or test questions are too tough, and seemingly beyond what their children has been learning in the classroom.

Acknowledging a gap in the public’s awareness and understanding of the changes in the system, Mr Heng said these questions - which are deliberately set to help students develop critical learning and go beyond rote-learning - are not simply solved by hitting the books. “Many of these questions are not intended for more studying (of content), but really, it is to encourage (students) to apply what they have learnt in an unfamiliar context”, he said.

At schools, exams have been recalibrated to include some questions that require students to apply the knowledge learnt to solve problems. Starting from this year, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board would release Primary School Leaving Examination papers from the previous three years so that parents can be more aware of the exam standards.

Mr Heng noted the “systematic reduction” in content being taught in the schools. Content which constitutes essential knowledge, skills and values that preserve the integrity of the subject and provide a firm foundation for further learning at higher level, has been retained. Concepts or skills which are not critical were removed. This included content that relies on recall or focuses on technical details not critical to students’ understanding of a topic. Content that overlaps or is dealt with in other subjects or programmes was also removed.

For example, the topic on “Simple Machine” was removed from the primary science syllabus and some of the concepts are covered in secondary school instead.

During an Institute of Policy Studies forum last month, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was asked by American journalist Fareed Zakaria on whether Singapore needs to shift away from a system of testing to encourage creativity. In response, Mr Tharman said: “The toughest question to ask ourselves ... is not what we add to the education system, but what we subtract.”

Mr Heng, who entered politics in 2011 and was appointed as Education Minister soon after, said the level of content being taught in schools is in a “reasonable position”. Under his watch, several initiatives have been rolled out to enable students to apply the knowledge acquired in classrooms. These included the Applied Learning and Learning for Life programmes.

Under the Applied Learning programme, for instance, students can apply their math and physics knowledge to robotics.

Moving away from purely using tests to gauge students’ abilities and progress, holistic assessment and discretionary admissions have also been introduced at the lower primary and tertiary levels, respectively. On whether this approach can be applied more pervasively in the education system, Mr Heng said caution has to be exercised because much resources would be required and minimum standards have to be maintained.

“There’s a lot of human judgement (involved),” he said. “It is, again, a balance in assuring parents that the criteria are fair and transparent and at the same time, the criteria allows us to encourage students develop more fully.”

While he believes that “not everything in life can tested”, Mr Heng said there is a place for testing, as well-designed tests help learning.

On the age-old debate on whether Singaporean students lack creativity, Mr Heng recounted his recent experience of meeting primary school pupils who were playing with the SG50 lego set and coming up with imaginative designs of playgrounds.

Mr Heng said: “Innovation starts first with empathy.” By thinking about what other people need would lead to the creative application of knowledge and the seeking of answers to problems, he added.

For any innovation to make an impact, it has to stand out on the regional or global stage, and in this regard, Singaporeans have be encouraged to see the world as their oyster, he said.

Mr Heng added that the multi-cultural make-up of Singapore society would give Singaporeans a headstart. “We are among few countries in the world (whose) citizens can be comfortable all over the world,” he said.

Mr Heng is confident that with the various initiatives underway, the Republic’s education system will stand young Singaporeans in good stead, as they take on the world.

“In the coming years, our students will be better able to empathise, to communicate, to imagine, and these qualities will prepare them better for the future.”

Minister Heng warns against putting wrong people in charge of future

TODAY reports: Education Minister Heng Swee Keat noted that if the “wrong people” are in charge and flip-flop on policies, an entire generation could be set back.

Having celebrated its big five-O with a bang less than two weeks ago, the Republic is at a critical point where decisions taken will have huge repercussions for its future, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.

In an interview with TODAY earlier this week, Mr Heng, who headed the steering committee to guide and coordinate the SG50 celebrations, reflected on Singapore’s transformation and expressed excitement about the nation’s future.

However, he cautioned: “I am also anxious that if we make the wrong decisions, what we … have been fortunate to inherit could be squandered very quickly.”

Elaborating, Mr Heng noted that if the “wrong people” are in charge and flip-flop on policies, an entire generation could be set back. “We are poised at a point ... to make the right decision ... to build on this legacy and try to reach the next peak, (or) we may take the wrong turn and land in a different place,” he said, urging Singaporeans to contemplate what they want the nation’s future to be.

With the next General Election (GE) around the corner, Mr Heng reiterated that a post-mortem by the ruling People’s Action Party on GE 2011 - during which it received 60.1 per cent of the popular vote, the lowest since independence - concluded that most of the Government’s long-term policy decisions were in the right direction. He cited, as examples, the introduction of WorkFare in 2006 and the tightening of foreign-worker inflow, which started in 2010.

However, an area where it has to do more is the “communication of policy and in connecting with our people”, said the minister. To that end, public agencies have been trying to identify the beneficiaries of policies and simplify the benefits in its communication with them. The agencies also make it a point to repeat policy announcements to ensure Singaporeans are aware of new initiatives.

On whether the Government’s efforts in the past four years would pay off in the coming polls, Mr Heng stressed that voters should not be taken for granted and that the election is about Singapore’s future and electing people who can take the country forward.

On the kind of political discourse he hopes to see, Mr Heng cited integrity as being fundamental. “Integrity in terms of basic things like managing public funds, in how we can safeguard public interest, and also integrity in terms of intellectual honesty,” he said.

“I do expect that we should be intellectually honest and not say one thing on one occasion and something else on another, whenever it is convenient”.

Past 4 years have been demanding but meaningful, fulfilling: Heng Swee Keat

TODAY reports: Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said the past four years have been a “very inspiring” time, having met people from all walks of life, such as volunteers who give their time to the community and pioneer educators who care deeply about the education system.

SINGAPORE: The past four years in politics have been “very demanding” but also “meaningful and fulfilling”, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, who entered politics in 2011 after spending almost three decades in the Civil Service.

Apart from being a Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet minister, Mr Heng also headed the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) project, and chaired the SG50 Steering Committee.

In an interview with TODAY earlier this week, he noted that the education portfolio itself requires “fairly intense thought” before making any policy changes.

“It requires one to think of the many issues long term, and appreciate and understand what is happening on the ground,” said Mr Heng who, along with Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, NTUC chief Chan Chun Sing and Culture, Community and Youth Minister Lawrence Wong, has been touted as key members of the fourth-generation leadership.

Pointing to his other “major assignments” - getting Singaporeans to air their views in the OSC and overseeing the Jubilee celebrations - Mr Heng noted that there are “no textbook answers” to them.

“In a sense, all these assignments are new to me, and they are challenging because I wanted to do it in a way that is innovative, and has an impact and is meaningful,” he said.

His duties as an MP for Tampines GRC also requires him to spend time getting to know the residents and understanding their issues. All these different responsibilities “will take up a lot of time and none of it can (be done) with very little effort”, said the former managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Heng has also had to grapple with the challenge of becoming the Education Ministry’s public face, which he admitted to being difficult in some ways as he is a “very private” person. However, he added that he recognises that this is necessary when the situation calls for it.

Despite the challenges, Mr Heng said it has been a “very inspiring” time so far, having met people from all walks of life, such as volunteers who give their time to the community and pioneer educators who care deeply about the education system.

“I’ve been very energised by many people I’ve met,” he said, adding that he is also heartened to see Singaporeans being involved in ground-up initiatives.

Asked about his achievements in the MOE over the past four years, Mr Heng stressed that they are the product of a collective effort.

He said his team has “been working hard” to broaden the definition of success, including providing different pathways for students at the post-secondary level.

More attention is also being paid to neighbourhood schools, he noted. “Teachers from neighbourhood schools have said ‘thank you for shining a light on what we do’, and indeed they worked very hard to create opportunities for everyone.”

On his future plans - and whether the hot seat at the Transport Ministry might be a consideration - Mr Heng would only say that it is up to the Prime Minister to decide what his next post will be.

Mr Heng also dismissed talk that ministers operate on their own in deciding policy matters. “It is a principle of collective responsibility … we debate many (issues) very seriously (and) all important decisions are taken by the Cabinet,” he said.

Tin Pei Ling will be PAP's candidate for MacPherson SMC

SINGAPORE: The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Friday (Aug 21) formally named Tin Pei Ling, 31, as its candidate to contest the MacPherson Single Member Constituency (SMC) at the upcoming General Election (GE).

The announcement was made at a PAP Community Foundation Education Centre in MacPherson. "We want to serve the residents here," she said. "We have been here since day one and will continue to put in our very best and be with them, though thick and thin, rain or shine, and we hope to continue doing so."

Ms Tin, who gave birth to a boy on Aug 5, was first elected during the 2011 General Election as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the MacPherson division under the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Ms Tin said she was "very excited" to be a mother and is still getting used to the new role, but will hit the campaign trail soon. 

"After giving birth, because of this great team here, it's really just 'business as usual' and I expect myself to be in full action soon," she said.

"To all the working mothers out there - kudos to all of you.  I have deep respect. I know it's not easy now. I'm a mother as well, and I hope the men out there will continue to give utmost support to working moms," she added.

On the subject of single moms, Ms Tin is fully supportive that this group should be entitled to equal maternity leave. "The principle remains the same: My focus is on the child. He’s a child of Singapore ... This child has been born; we shouldn’t penalise the child just because of actions of the mum."

Single mothers currently get half of the 16-week paid maternity leave that married mothers are entitled to.

"We should continue to emphasise family values, but I can empathise with the mum and I think we should be fair to them," Ms Tin said.

The MacPherson ward has been carved out again as a single-seat constituency under the new electoral boundaries announced last month.

The constituency existed as an SMC from 1968 to 1991 under the late former minister Chua Sian Chin, and again from 1997 to 2011 under Mr Matthias Yao. Mr Yao fended off Opposition challengers in three General Elections, winning by comfortable margins, before retiring from politics ahead of the 2011 polls.

This year, Ms Tin faces a possible three-cornered fight with Opposition candidates from the Workers’ Party and the National Solidarity Party. The latter, which had earlier stated it would not contest MacPherson SMC, made an about-turn on Wednesday.

Asked about the result she is hoping for, Ms Tin said: "We are not focused on actual specific numbers. It's really focusing our time on doing what is right and best for our residents. If they are taken care of, we are happiest and if that happens, the votes will follow."

The 31-year-old admitted she had a "rocky and painful" entry into politics, when she was mocked for her some of her old social media posts. "It was very trying, one of the darkest moments in my life. I’m thankful for my family, friends and team for their unwavering support. Without them 'chionging' (charging forth) with me, I wouldn’t have pulled through. At times, I felt some of the accusations were baseless … but when I see some of the issues which the residents grapple with, I feel it pales in comparison."

She said based on her experience, she hopes to inspire young people to not give up even in the face of challenges. "If I can quote Taylor Swift, it will be 'shake it off'. Keep calm and carry on," she said.

North Korea issues military threat as tensions with South Korea rise

Paju, South Korea (CNN) - North Korea outlined an ultimatum Friday to its southern neighbor: Stop the "provocations" and "psychological warfare" or pay the price.
"If South Korea does not respond to our ultimatum," North Korean U.N. ambassador An Myong Hun told reporters, "our military counteraction will be inevitable and that counteraction will be very strong."
North Korea's regime, known for being both thin-skinned and fond of saber rattling, has made plenty of threats before. In fact, articulating derogatory and intimidating words about South Korea and the United States has been more the norm than not for years.
What makes this case different, though, is that two South Korean soldiers have been seriously wounded (by landmines August 4 in the Demilitarized Zone) and that there's been firing back-and-forth since then. An said Friday that "all the (North Korean) frontline large combined units (have) entered into a wartime state ... fully armed to launch any surprise operations and finish their preparations for action."
Specifically, this threat is tied to cross-border propaganda loudspeakers that South Korea resumed using last week for the first time in a decade. Pyongyang is demanding they be turned off by Saturday evening.
"The situation of the country is now inching closer to the brink of war," Ji Jae Ryong, North Korean ambassador to China, told journalists in Beijing on Friday.
U.S., South Korea exercises resume
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo accused North Korea of pushing the tensions "to the utmost level."
"North Korea's offensive action is a despicable crime that breaks a ceasefire agreement and the non-aggression treaty between North and South," Han said Friday in an address broadcast on South Korean television.
"If North Korea continues on provoking, our military -- as we have already warned -- will respond sternly, and end the evil provocations of North Korea," he said, adding the country is working closely with the United States.

As the verbal sniping continued, the South's President, Park Geun-hye, visited troops at a base south of Seoul, receiving a briefing from military officials on the latest situation, her office said.
One ongoing point of contention is South Korea's joint military exercises with the United States -- a regular training event that An contends aims to "occupy Pyongyang."
Those exercises were suspended Thursday amid the war of words, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear told reporters. But they're now back on.
"We suspended part of the exercise temporarily in order to allow our side to coordinate with the ROK (Republic of Korea) side on the subject of the exchange fire across the DMZ," Shear said "And the exercise is being conducted now according to plan."
North Korea calls broadcasts 'an open act of war'
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been escalating since the two South Korean soldiers were wounded early this month. South Korea and the U.S.-led U.N. Command in Korea concluded North Korea planted the mines on a patrol route in the southern part of the zone.
North Korea has denied responsibility and refused South Korean demands for an apology.
"It is a bad habit (for) South Korea to groundlessly link whatever events occur in South Korea with the DPRK," An said, with the DPRK equating to his country. "They seek sinister purposes whenever they orchestrate ridiculous plots."
Seoul has since resumed its cross-border propaganda broadcasts, which North Korea called "an open act of war" and spurred it to threaten to blow up the speakers.
Kim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryphotos: Kim Jong Un and North Korea's militaryOn Thursday, South Korean officials said the North fired artillery shells over the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two countries. A U.S. official told CNN that North Korea was believed to be targeting a loudspeaker position.
The South fired back several dozen shells of its own, according to the Defense Ministry.
No casualties were reported by either side.
Amid the tensions, South Korean officials said some residents of the area targeted by North Korea on Thursday had to be evacuated, although many have since returned.

History of disputes
It's not the first time that the two sides have briefly traded blows in recent years. They notably exchanged artillery fire over their disputed maritime border in 2010 and machine-gun fire over land in October.
But Thursday's clash was unusual because of the type of weapons used around the Demilitarized Zone, said Alison Evans, a senior analyst at IHS Country Risk.
"Cross-border attacks have mainly involved small-arms fire or, as in October 2014, anti-aircraft heavy machine guns," she said. "In contrast, there have been frequent exchanges of artillery and rocket fire across the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border."
Amid the heightened tensions, North Korea's connection to the global Internet went down twice Friday, according to Dyn Research, a U.S-based private Internet-monitoring service. North Korea's Internet access last went down August 10 for 4 ½ hours, according to Dyn Research. The cause of the disruption was not immediately clear.
Is situation likely to escalate?
The question now is whether the situation will escalate further.
North Korea has used similarly alarming language in previous periods of high tension
In 2013, the country announced it had entered "a state of war" with South Korea. That situation didn't result in military action, although North Korea did temporarily shut down the two countries' joint industrial zone, which lies on its side of the border.
North Korea's verbal volleysphotos: North Korea's verbal volleys
During that period, North Korea kept up a barrage of bombastic threats against the United States, South Korea and Japan. But at the same time, it continued accepting tourists and hosting international athletes in Pyongyang for a marathon.

South Korea said Friday that it was limiting the number of its citizens entering the joint industrial zone, but the complex was still operating. There are currently 83 South Koreans in Pyongyang attending a youth soccer event, including players and coaches, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry.
Jamie Metzl, an Asia expert for the Atlantic Council in New York, said he thought it was unlikely that the current crisis would escalate further.
"North Korea has more to gain from conflict theater than from a conflict that would quickly expose its fundamental weakness," he said, suggesting leaders in Pyongyang might be trying to "make trouble because they feel ignored by the international community and feel they have something to gain negotiating their way out of a mini-crisis."
But other analysts said the situation could still continue to deteriorate.
The shelling Thursday "raises questions frankly about Kim Jong Un's style of making tension, provocations, escalation -- and whether he knows how to control escalation," said Michael Green, an Asia specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
U.S., China, urge calm
A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry said Friday that the country is "paying great attention to the situation" and is "willing to work with all parties toward the peace and stability of the peninsula."
"We urge relevant parties to remain calm and restrained, use meetings and dialogue to properly handle the current situation, and stop any action that could escalate the tensions," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is "deeply concerned" about the situation, spokesman Eri Kaneko said.
The United States, which has roughly 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea, said it, too, is closely monitoring the situation.
"As we've said before, these kinds of provocative actions only heighten tensions," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, referring to the North Korean shelling. "And we call on Pyongyang to refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten regional peace and security."
He said that Washington and Seoul are coordinating closely and that the United States "remains steadfast in its commitment to the defense, the security of the peninsula, to our alliance with South Korea."