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WORLD: 1953 truce not valid, says Korea
Ben Bailey27 May 2009
North Korea today raised the stakes in its stand-off with the South by declaring it was no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean War in 1953.
The latest act of aggression came in response to South Korea joining an anti-proliferation exercise which could allow it to search the North's ships, a move aimed at stemming the flow of weapons of mass destruction into and out of the nuclear state.
North Korea said it could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping and that the South's participation in the exercise would be tantamount to a declaration of war. It threatened military action if its ships were searched.
North Korea has restarted a weapons-grade nuclear plant, it was reported, while it staged a mass rally to celebrate its second nuclear test.
South Korea joined the American-led “proliferation security initiative” after Monday's underground nuclear test. Foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan called the naval exercise “a natural obligation”, saying: “It will help control North Korea's development of dangerous material.”
A North Korean military spokesman said: “Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike.”
The isolated communist regime has launched missiles as well as its nuclear test which seemed designed to inflame global opinion. North Korea has fired five short-range missiles in two days, despite international censure, including from China and Russia.
The UN Security Council is working on a strong condemnation of what it says is North Korea's contravention of its conventions.
South Korean media has reported that steam was coming from North Korea's nuclear plant at Yongbyon, suggesting the fuel reprocessing plant there had been reactivated.
“US spy satellites recently spotted various signs of the once-frozen reprocessing facility being reactivated, such as water vapour,” an official told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
The North announced last month it was quitting a six-nation nuclear disarmament pact and would reopen the Yongbyon plant, closed in July 2007.
Thousands of Pyongyang residents, including senior military and party officials, ignored global opinion yesterday as they gathered in a stadium to celebrate the nuclear test.
Reader views (10)
"The UN Security Council is working on a strong condemnation "
I bet NK is quaking in fear, ha!
- Stan_Expat, Now in USA, 27/05/2009 21:40
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"Powerful military strike"? A few non-nuclear cruise missiles to smash up their plutonium plants and rocket sites might help these pillocks cool off.
- C. Nichol, London, 27/05/2009 14:38
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- Johnny Boye, London
Spelling not up to par admittedly! Actually trying to do some work today to pay the MP's expenses!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 27/05/2009 13:40
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Ben. You should keep out of it. You're probably illiterate as well...
- Wayne Kerr, Sevenoaks, 27/05/2009 13:08
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china wont allow it no matter the idelogical terms are. china helps n korea. goodby western factories etc hello china circa 1947 all over again. russia well poor ex commie relation. beware iran coming in on n koreas side so 2 fronts maybe. and as iran has already been at proxy war with israel and the us its a possibilty.
- Mikeeee, peterborough uk, 27/05/2009 13:02
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Here’s an idea – USA irritates NK, NK sabre rattles, local currency Yen falls – investors see safety in the dollar, dollar rises, China happy, starts to unload more of the US treasury bonds it holds and swaps for gold as a hedge, China tempers NK (to avoid flood of misplaced NKs on its borders and civil unrest), US rattles NK more through sanctions and military intervention, NK declares war – US obliges (generates industry) pulls US out of recession and gold rockets offsetting China’s losses on US Treasury bonds……
- Wallytrader, London, 27/05/2009 12:44
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Johnny, dont be a idiot, Frank was just making a comment about the article not asking for you to spell check.
- Ben, London, 27/05/2009 12:26
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WW3 here we come!
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 27/05/2009 11:52
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Frank. Sensible post. Appalling spelling. Let me help.
The term is to 'kick off', not 'of;
their = belonging to them; and
there = that place.
- Johnny Boye, London, 27/05/2009 11:44
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Well that will be kicking of soon then. Only one option left now. Let's see how mature China is these days. I am sure if they pulled their troops out of Tibet and stopped committing genocide their, they would have enough to cover their border with NK.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 27/05/2009 10:38
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