South Koreans remained calm and carried on their daily lives over the weekend amid escalating tensions brought on by the North’s recent war threats and security concerns raised by foreign media on the Korean Peninsula.

International communities and foreign news outlets dealt sensitively with the deluge of threats from North Korea, a stark contrast to many South Koreans who reacted calmly over the current political tension.

A 32-year-old office worker, Lee Young-eun, said she and her friends make jokes about where to evacuate if the war actually happens. But it doesn’t mean that they aren’t without fear, she said.

“We have lived in the danger of the North’s threat for a long time. Maybe we are trying to resolve our fears by making jokes about it,” she said.

Kim Seon-sook, a writer, said, “It is also not like we can leave everything behind every time there is a threat. We believe that while the confrontation with the North may not be by choice, it still is something that we must learn to live with and hope the situation will improve with political leaders exerting good leadership.”

Observers said South Koreans’ calm also derives from years of experience that has manifested North Korea’s intentions behind its threats and provocations.

“People in the South think the North’s military armament, including its nuclear weapons, is to psychologically pressure the international community and South Korea (for its survival) and the possibility of firing up the missile is low,” said Yoon Hee-woong, senior researcher at the Korea Society Opinion Institute.

“They also believe that the North’s threats including pre-emptive strikes are not against South Korea but as a bargaining chip against the United States and its allies,” Yoon said.

The South Korean government has been responding patiently Sunday to the North’s threats, including its recent warning to foreign diplomats to leave Pyongyang, while vowing strong deterrence against any provocation.

“There are no unusual signs detected in Pyongyang or other North Korean cities. We are dealing with the situation by calmly watching the North’s moves,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said Saturday. The presidential office of national security headed by former defense minister Kim Jang-soo also held meetings with the relevant senior secretaries to check the situation over the weekend.

But as the North’s threats reached new heights in recent weeks, there were also some signs of anxiousness.

The sale of basic necessities at retail stores has increased since late last month. According to E-Mart, one of the major discount chains here, the sale of instant rice and mineral water at its branches have jumped over 30 percent last week when compared to the same period last year.

The North Korea risks also increased market jitters. South Korean stocks slumped 1.65 percent on Friday. The local currency also sank against the U.S. dollar at 1,131.8 won, down 8 won from Thursday’s close.

“The deadly artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island and the sinking of the Cheonan warship (in 2010) have definitely increased the fear factor against the North’s threats among South Koreans,” Yoon said.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)