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North: Korean War Is Back On

North declares end to peace deal, restarts its nuclear plant

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 27, 2009 6:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – North Korea warned today that it no longer considers itself bound by the 1953 truce that brought the Korean War to an effective—but not official—end. The country said South Korea's announcement yesterday that it is joining a US-led initiative to stop ships suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction amounts to a "declaration of war," the Washington Post reports.

A spokesman for the North Korean military warned that any attempts to inspect the country's shipping under the Proliferation Security Initiative would be met with "a powerful military strike." South Korean media report US satellites have spotted signs that the North has restarted its nuclear plant, which was closed as part of a 2007 disarmament deal.

[Images (8)]

[Quotes (2)]

North Korean military officials attend a ceremony to celebrate the underground nuclear test, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (AP Photo/APTN)

A North Korean patrol boat idles along the Yalu River that separates China and North Korea near Dandong, northeastern China's Liaoning province, Wednesday, May 27 , 2009. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

North Korean top officials, including No. 2 leader Kim Yong Nam, third left in front, applaud during a ceremony to celebrate the underground nuclear test, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (AP Photo/APTN)

In this file photo on Friday, Oct. 20, 2006, North Korea People's Army and residents celebrate the country's nuclear test at the Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Kyodo, File)

South Korean kindergarteners and a Catholic nun pass by weapons used during the Korean War at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, today. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean kindergartners look at the monument in remembrance of the Korean War at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea ,today. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A couple stands by North Korea's Scud-B missile, center green, and other South Korean missiles at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, today. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Map of North Korea locates Yongbyon and missile-launch sites and Monday’s underground nuclear detonation.

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Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty. We will immediately respond with a powerful military strike. - A North Korean military spokesman

Inter-Korean relations have hit rock bottom. So it is the right thing to join PSI, even if North Korea reacts with resistance.
- Yun Duk-min, professor of international politics at a government think tank in Seoul

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North: Korean War Is Back On