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N Korea threatens military action N Korea threatens military action
(about 3 hours later)
North Korea has warned of a military response after South Korea joined an anti-proliferation exercise which could allow it to search the North's ships. North Korea says it has abandoned the truce that ended the Korean war, amid rising tension in the region.
The North said it is no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean War in 1953. It blamed its decision on South Korea joining a US-led initiative to search ships for nuclear weapons.
A military spokesman quoted by official media said Pyongyang could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping. It said the South's actions were a "declaration of war", and pledged to attack if its ships were stopped.
Its latest threat comes after an underground nuclear test two days ago and several missile launches. The move is part of an increasingly hard line being taken by North Korea, and comes two days after it conducted an underground nuclear test.
The United Nations Security Council is working on a strong condemnation of what it says is North Korea's contravention of its rules. Meanwhile, South Korean news reports say that steam has been seen coming from a plant at the North's main nuclear facility, a sign that it has made good on its threat to restart efforts to make weapons-grade plutonium.
Meanwhile steam is reported to be coming from North Korea's main nuclear reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, suggesting it has made good on its threat to restart efforts to make weapons-grade plutonium. The United Nations Security Council is working on a strong resolution condemning North Korea's actions, including possible punitive measures.
Anti proliferation Anti-proliferation
South Korea announced on Tuesday that it would not delay any longer in joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) - a US-led non-proliferation campaign involving searching ships carrying suspicious cargos and aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. In a statement to the North's official news agency, KCNA, the military warned that it no longer considered itself bound by the terms of a 1953 ceasefire which ended the war between the two Koreas.
Your views: Should world worry? Reaction from around the region href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8068567.stm">What is N Korea's game plan? class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6033893.stm">Factfile: Underground testing href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6033893.stm">Factfile: Underground testing class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6493&edition=2&ttl=20090526112514">Your views: Should world worry? Reaction from around the region href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8067893.stm">Media condemn nuclear test
North Korea has repeatedly warned that the South's participation in the PSI would be tantamount to a declaration of war. The immediate cause, it said, was South Korea's announcement on Tuesday that it would definitely join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) - a US-led campaign to search ships carrying suspicious cargoes and aim to stop the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
Joining the PSI "is a natural obligation", South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. "It will help control North Korea's development of dangerous material." Joining the PSI "is a natural obligation", South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters. "It will help control North Korea's development of dangerous material."
North Korea's response has been firm. But North Korea's response has been unequivocal.
"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," a spokesman for the North's army was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency. "Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty," a spokesman for the North's army told KCNA.
Reactivated reprocessing? "We will immediately respond with a powerful military strike."
North Korea has fired five short-range missiles in two days, despite strong censure from the international community, including China and Russia. Tensions have already risen significantly across the Korean peninsula in recent weeks.
NUCLEAR CRISIS Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear testFeb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aidJune 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactorJune 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assetsOct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorismDec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aidJan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2340405.stm">Q&A: North Korea nuclear test class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8067368.stm">What are N Korea's motives? Provocation
The North announced last month it was quitting a six-nation nuclear disarmament agreement and would reopen the Yongbyon plant, closed in July 2007 as part of a disarmament deal. Last month North Korea launched a long-range rocket over Japanese airspace, angering the international community.
That threat last month was prompted, it said, by the UN Security Council's censure of North Korea's 5 April rocket launch. Pyongyang said the rocket carried a satellite, but several nations viewed it as cover for a missile test.
Washington is calling for a quick and unified response by the international community that will make it clear to North Korea that there are consequences for its actions. UN moves towards N Korea resolution
Diplomats from the five permanent Security Council member countries plus Japan and South Korea have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss a new resolution. The UN Security Council condemned the rocket launch, and in retaliation North Korea announced it was quitting long-running six-nation negotiations on its nuclear disarmament.
It also said it would reopen it main nuclear plant at Yongbyon, which was closed in July 2007 as part of a disarmament deal. According to South Korean media reports, the plant may now be reactivated, as spy satellites have seen steam coming out of it.
On Monday North Korea increased tensions still further, by conducting a powerful underground nuclear test.
It has also fired six short-range missiles in recent days.
International response
NUCLEAR CRISIS Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear testFeb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aidJune 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assetsOct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorismDec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle reactor after a US decision to suspend energy aidJan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test Q&A: North Korea nuclear test What is N Korea's game plan?
Diplomats from the five permanent Security Council member countries - plus Japan and South Korea - have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss a new resolution against North Korea.
Washington is calling for a quick and unified response that will make it clear to Pyongyang that there are consequences for its actions.
But US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the door was still open to resume long-running six-party talks and that the US was looking at a "whole range of options".
"We are thinking through complicated issues that require very careful consideration," said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice."We are thinking through complicated issues that require very careful consideration," said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly also said the door was still open to resume long-running six-party talks and that the US was looking at a "whole range of options". While the US and Japan are likely to favour a hard line against North Korea, Russia and China are more wary about pushing Pyongyang too far, analysts say.
It is a sign of the delicate balance required to handle the reclusive country, the BBC's State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas reports from Washington. A few years ago there was real hope of reaching a settlement, when North Korea agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.
China shares a border with North Korea and worries about pushing Pyongyang too far, so it is unclear what sort of measures might be taken now and how North Korea would respond, our correspondent adds.
This week's test and missile launches came after North Korea walked away from long-running disarmament talks.
It agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.
But the negotiations stalled as it accused its negotiating partners - the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - of failing to meet agreed obligations.But the negotiations stalled as it accused its negotiating partners - the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - of failing to meet agreed obligations.