South Korean Waters Labeled "Firing Zone" by North

North Korea continues to act like the regional bully. While this is the typical hype almost always followed by no substance, it is possible they are looking for a way to get back at the south for the humiliation given to the North at sea last month.

North Korea threatened South Korean ships with possible attack by designating a firing zone along their disputed sea border Monday, raising tensions in an area where a brief but deadly clash erupted last month.

The western maritime boundary has long been considered a flash point between the two Koreas because the North does not recognize a line the United Nations unilaterally drew at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Pyongyang claims the actual border is further south.

The dispute led to deadly skirmishes in 1999, 2002 and on Nov. 10. In the latest clash, ships from the two sides exchanged fire in the disputed waters, leaving one North Korean sailor dead and three others wounded, according to the South.

On Monday, North Korea designated what it claimed are its territorial waters in the disputed area a "peacetime naval firing zone of coastal and island artillery units." That apparently means that artillery shells could land in the waters at any time.

Most of the vessels in the region described are fishing vessels, meaning the North may be about to sink a fishing vessel and claim a military victory.

If you are keeping score: The South sent the North a bunch of H1N1 vaccines and the North steals military plans for war. The Obama administration reaches out to North Korea about ending the Korean War and the North threatens to use military force against South Korea.

When it comes to North Korea, no good deed goes unpunished.