N. Korea warns Seoul of military conflict amid tension

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Sunday further stepped up its rhetoric
against the South, suggesting that downplaying Pyongyang's recent warnings could
lead to military conflict between the two sides, according to the North's state
news agency.
The Rodong Sinmun, a newspaper published by the North's Workers' Party, said in a
commentary that "an escalation of tension in the midst of a cease-fire can lead
to military conflict and war that is unpreventable and inevitable," according to
a report by the Korea Central News Agency, monitored in Seoul.
The remarks come amid a recent announcement by a North Korean committee on
unification and inter-Korean affairs, which stated that the communist nation will
no longer honor any political or military agreements reached between the two
Koreas.
Tension has considerably risen on the peninsula since conservative President Lee
Myung-bak took office 11 months ago. His recent nomination of a hawkish scholar
as the new unification minister has further enraged North Korea. The two Koreas
technically remain at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended only with a cease-fire,
not a peace agreement.
Military conflict is an obvious measure in the midst of "the grave crisis in
which the South-North relation cannot be revived," the paper said, underscoring
that Seoul has deflected or downplayed the North's consistent warnings.
"(The South) must bear in mind that the end could only lead to destruction when
it neglects our grave warnings," the commentary said.
Pyongyang has recently vowed to hold onto its nuclear weapons program until the
U.S. removes military threats against the North. Many watchers see the North's
latest brinkmanship not as a military threat, but a diplomatic tactic.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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