North Korean flag used as target practice by US and South Korean troops However, Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean professor at Seoul's Dongguk University has said that even a direct hit on the flag would probably only result in escalated North Korean threats because Pyongyang's struggling economy prevents it from staging any attack. Tension has been rising in the region since a North Korean rocket launch in April. Despite the North Korean government claiming that it was an attempt to send a satellite into orbit, the UN Security condemned the launch, believing it to be a test on banned long-range missile technology. In recent months, North Korea has ramped up harsh rhetoric against South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who ended Seoul's no-strings-attached aid to Pyongyang after he took office in 2008. Fighter jet exercises near the border have also increased significantly. South Korean Navy Brigadier General Park Seong-Bae warned against North Korean aggression stating: "We will immediately retaliate against any attacks from North Korea and finish the enemy off on the spot."