http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090527/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear

Quote:

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened military action Wednesday against U.S. and South Korean warships plying the waters near the Koreas' disputed maritime border, raising the specter of a naval clash just days after the regime's underground nuclear test.

Pyongyang, reacting angrily to Seoul's decision to join an international program to intercept ships suspected of aiding nuclear proliferation, called the move tantamount to a declaration of war.

"Now that the South Korean puppets were so ridiculous as to join in the said racket and dare declare a war against compatriots," North Korea is "compelled to take a decisive measure," the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement carried by state media.

The North Korean army called it a violation of the armistice the two Koreas signed in 1953 to end their three-year war, and said it would no longer honor the treaty.

South Korea's military said Wednesday it was prepared to "respond sternly" to any North Korean provocation.

North Korea's latest belligerence comes as the U.N. Security Council debates how to punish the regime for testing a nuclear bomb Monday in what President Barack Obama called a "blatant violation" of international law.

Ambassadors from the five permanent veto-wielding council members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — as well as Japan and South Korea were working out the details of a new resolution.

The success of any new sanctions would depend on how aggressively China, one of North Korea's only allies, implements them.

"It's not going too far to say that China holds the keys on sanctions," said Kim Sung-han, an international relations professor at Seoul's Korea University.

South Korea, divided from the North by a heavily fortified border, had responded to the nuclear test by joining the Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-led network of nations seeking to stop ships from transporting the materials used in nuclear bombs.

Seoul previously resisted joining the PSI in favor of seeking reconciliation with Pyongyang, but pushed those efforts aside Monday after the nuclear test in the northeast.

North Korea warned Wednesday that any attempt to stop, board or inspect its ships would constitute a "grave violation."

The regime also said it could no longer promise the safety of U.S. and South Korean warships and civilian vessels in the waters near the Korea's western maritime border.

"They should bear in mind that the (North) has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike able to conquer any targets in its vicinity at one stroke or hit the U.S. on the raw, if necessary," the army said in a statement carried by state media.

The maritime border has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. North Korea disputes the line unilaterally drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Koreas' three-year war in 1953, and has demanded it be redrawn further south.

The truce signed in 1953 and subsequent military agreements call for both sides to refrain from warfare, but doesn't cover the waters off the west coast.

North Korea has used the maritime border dispute to provoke two deadly naval skirmishes — in 1999 and 2002.

On Wednesday, the regime promised "unimaginable and merciless punishment" for anyone daring to challenge its ships.

Pyongyang also reportedly restarted its weapons-grade nuclear plant, South Korean media said.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper said U.S. spy satellites detected signs of steam at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex, an indication it may have started reprocessing nuclear fuel. The report, which could not be confirmed, quoted an unidentified government official. South Korea's Yonhap news agency also carried a similar report.

The move would be a major setback for efforts aimed at getting North Korea to disarm.

North Korea had stopped reprocessing fuel rods as part of an international deal. In 2007, it agreed to disable the Yongbyon reactor in exchange for aid and demolished a cooling tower at the complex.

The North has about 8,000 spent fuel rods which, if reprocessed, could allow it to harvest 13 to 18 pounds (six to eight kilograms) of plutonium — enough to make at least one nuclear bomb, experts said. North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least a half dozen atomic bombs.

Further ratcheting up tensions, North Korea test-fired five short-range missiles over the past two days, South Korean officials confirmed.

Russia's foreign minister said world powers must be firm with North Korea but take care to avoid inflaming tensions further.

The world "must not rush to punish North Korea just for punishment's sake," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Russia wants a Security Council resolution that will help restart stalled six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear programs and will not provoke Pyongyang into even more aggressive activity.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged officials to "remain calm" in the face of North Korean threats, said Lee Dong-kwan, his spokesman.

Pyongyang isn't afraid of any repercussions for its actions, a North Korean newspaper, the Minju Joson, said Wednesday.

"It is a laughable delusion for the United States to think that it can get us to kneel with sanctions," it said in an editorial. "We've been living under U.S. sanctions for decades, but have firmly safeguarded our ideology and system while moving our achievements forward. The U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg."

Can't we just smash these pinheads already? For years they've been threatening the world with "Oh yeah!? GIVE US AID OR WE WILL BUILD A BOMB!!!"

Funny thing is, half the world already has bombs, and could take them off the map. They're like your grandma's annoying chihuahua that growls and acts like it will kill everyone in the room, and the only thing keeping you from punting the damn thing is the fact that your grandma would be sad. But seriously, NK is doing all this talking, why can't we say "Shut up, disarm, or we'll bomb you back to the stone age"?

ThatGuy85 wrote:

Can't we just smash these pinheads already? For years they've been threatening the world with "Oh yeah!? GIVE US AID OR WE WILL BUILD A BOMB!!!"

Funny thing is, half the world already has bombs, and could take them off the map. They're like your grandma's annoying chihuahua that growls and acts like it will kill everyone in the room, and the only thing keeping you from punting the damn thing is the fact that your grandma would be sad. But seriously, NK is doing all this talking, why can't we say "Shut up, disarm, or we'll bomb you back to the stone age"?

ThatGuy85, meet the United Nations. United Nations, meet ThatGuy85.

do I agree with you? yes. but Russia wants to employ diplomatic efforts first. BUT... North Korea is AWFULLY close to Russia. that's going to be a factor in all of this.



Desert Tuners

“When you come across a big kettle of crazy, it’s best not to stir it.”

FReQ GTO LS2 wrote:

ThatGuy85 wrote:

Can't we just smash these pinheads already? For years they've been threatening the world with "Oh yeah!? GIVE US AID OR WE WILL BUILD A BOMB!!!"

Funny thing is, half the world already has bombs, and could take them off the map. They're like your grandma's annoying chihuahua that growls and acts like it will kill everyone in the room, and the only thing keeping you from punting the damn thing is the fact that your grandma would be sad. But seriously, NK is doing all this talking, why can't we say "Shut up, disarm, or we'll bomb you back to the stone age"?

ThatGuy85, meet the United Nations. United Nations, meet ThatGuy85.

do I agree with you? yes. but Russia wants to employ diplomatic efforts first. BUT... North Korea is AWFULLY close to Russia. that's going to be a factor in all of this.

That and N. Korea is one of China's favorite little puppets. But I don't think China is really so happy about them having nukes either. however, we can't displease our Chinese overlords, now can we?

I think N. Korea is where we should have been invading at the time we where getting involved in Iraq(or sooner). This game isn't new, we've known for a long time that they've been getting closer and closer to a nuclear weapon. This isn't their first successful nuclear detonation - but their first one was something of a joke in terms of power. This one was definitely better - by Russia's estimation(this is disputed), the latest explosion puts in on par with what we dropped on Japan.

The thing about the N. Koreans having the bomb - rather than most any other country - is those bastards are crazy enough to use it without a second thought. Their leaders aren't the most reasonable nor responsible bunch - and I don't think they'd hesitate to sell a few off to Syria etc. We cannot leave them be.

Well I have no problem trying to solve problems diplomatically before militarily. But talks have been underway for YEARS and things still get worse.

Wow me and BK3K are on the exact same page here.



FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!

Never mind the fact that N. Korea is becoming Nuclear armed - they now have... TWITTER!!

Now we're doomed.