Report: 2 Koreas, US militaries lower alert
South Korean and US forces have downgraded their defensive alert against the North based on intelligence that Pyongyang has relaxed the standby status of military units on the west coast, a news report said on Friday.
The North Korean units, including artillery bases likely to have been involved in the shelling of a South Korean island on Nov. 23, had been on special standby but now appear to be on routine operations, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said. (Reuters)
