(2nd LD) N Korea warns against S. Korea`s joining of PSI

(ATTN: ADDS more background, details in paras 8,10)
SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea renewed its warning Saturday that it
would view South Korea's full participation in a U.S.-led anti-proliferation
drive as a declaration of a war against Pyongyang and claimed that its army is
ready to take action "any moment."
North Korea will consider "any pressure to be put upon it through 'total
participation' in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) as a declaration of
undisguised confrontation and a declaration of a war against the DPRK (North
Korea)," a spokesman for the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army
said. His remarks were carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea's armed forces are always "keeping themselves fully ready to go into
action any moment" to punish anyone encroaching on the country's sovereignty, the
spokesman said.
South Korea "should never forget that Seoul is just 50 km away from the Military
Demarcation Line," he said, referring to the inter-Korean border.
The spokesman also dismissed six-nation denuclearization talks, saying the
country's army "has never pinned any hope on the six-party talks from their
outset."
His remarks follow Seoul's decision earlier in the day to postpone announcing its
plan to join the PSI until after the proposed talks with North Korea next week.
Seoul officials said Pyongyang has proposed holding talks with the South on
Tuesday at a joint industrial park in the communist state, where a South Korean
worker remained detained for the 20th day.
South Korea's foreign ministry said Seoul needs to take into consideration
factors such as inter-Korean relations in announcing the full joining of the PSI.
But the ministry emphasized that Seoul's position on participating in the
U.S.-led campaign has not changed.
Defying repeated warnings from South Korea, the United States, Japan and other
countries, North Korea launched a long-range rocket on April 5, prompting the
U.N. Security Council to issue a condemnation saying the launch violated a U.N.
resolution banning the North from ballistic activity. Seoul and its allies
suspect the rocket launch was a cover for a missile test.
Challenging the Security Council's denouncement, Pyongyang said Tuesday it was
withdrawing from the six-party nuclear disarmament talks and would restore its
nearly disabled nuclear facilities. The North followed up on its declaration by
expelling inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency as well as U.S.
personnel who were monitoring the disablement process.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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