Filipino authors

North Korea says at war with South

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

(4th UPDATE) North Korea announces Saturday, March 30, it has entered into a 'state of war' with South Korea and that 'all matters between the two Koreas will be handled according to wartime protocol'

SEOUL, South Korea (4th UPDATE) – North Korea announced Saturday, March 30, that it had entered into a “state of war” with South Korea and would deal with every inter-Korean issue accordingly.

“As of now, inter-Korea relations enter a state of war and all matters between the two Koreas will be handled according to wartime protocol,” the North said in a joint statement attributed to all government bodies and institutions.

“The long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula being neither at peace nor at war is finally over,” said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The announcement was largely dismissed by Seoul as an old threat dressed in slightly different clothing.

It was the latest in a string of dire-sounding pronouncements from Pyongyang that have been matched by tough warnings from Seoul and Washington, fuelling international concern that the situation might spiral out of control.

On March 21, the North Korean army threatened a possible strike against US military bases in Japan, in response to the use of nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers in joint military drills with South Korea.

The day before on March 20, Pyongyang condemned the B-52 flights as an “unpardonable provocation” and threatened military action if they continue.

No ceasefire

The two Koreas have always technically remained at war because the 1950-53 Korean War concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

The North had announced earlier this month that it was ripping up the armistice and other bilateral peace pacts signed with Seoul in protest against South Korea-US joint military exercises.

“This is not really a new threat — just part of a series of provocative threats,” the South’s Unification Ministry said in a statement.

The defence ministry added that no particular troop movement had been observed along the border.

Voiding the ceasefire theoretically opened the way to a resumption of hostilities, although observers noted it was far from the first time that North Korea had announced the demise of the armistice.

The armistice was approved by the UN General Assembly, and both the United Nations and South Korea have repudiated the North’s unilateral withdrawal.

Saturday’s statement also warned that any military provocation near the North-South land or sea border would result “in a full-scale conflict and a nuclear war.”

Rhetorics

Most observers still believe this will remain a rhetorical rather than a physical battle, but the situation has now become so volatile that any slight miscalculation carries the potential for rapid escalation.

Both China and Russia asked for all sides to cooperate to prevent the situation worsening on Friday, March 29, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voicing particular concern.

“We can simply see the situation getting out of control, it would spiral down into a vicious circle,” Lavrov told reporters at a news conference.

His warning came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered missile units to prepare to strike US mainland and military bases, vowing to “settle accounts” after US stealth bombers flew over South Korea.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stressed that Washington would not be cowed by Pyongyang’s bellicose threats and stood ready to respond to “any eventuality.”

The high-stakes standoff has its roots in North Korea’s successful long-range rocket launch in December and the third nuclear test it carried out in February. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!