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North Korea says blockade will lead to war
Seoul, June 17: North Korea warned today that a blockade by the united states and its allies against the communist state could lead to war and Japan would not be safe from `the flames of war`.
Seoul, June 17: North Korea warned today that a blockade by the united states and its allies against the communist state could lead to war and Japan would not be safe from "the flames of war".
Pyongyang's main state-run newspaper 'Rodong Sinmun' today charged that the United States is "laying an international siege to the north and putting a blockade against it as a premeditated scheme to start a new war on the Korean peninsula.''
North Korea will take ``physical retaliation,'' including "all means and methods an independent country can take,'' once it concludes that the recent moves by the allies violate its sovereignty, Rodong said in a commentary monitored by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
"There is no guarantee that this blockade will not lead to such a serious condition as a full-scale war,'' said Rodong. "If war breaks out between the north and the United States, it will not be limited to the Korean peninsula but all the areas where aggressors are lurking will become our targets.''
North Korea accused Japan of turning itself into the "base camp for US aggression against Korea" and cooperating with what it called a US plan to "stifle" North Korea.
"Given this background, once flames of war erupt on the Korean peninsula, they could quickly spread to Japan,'' Rodong said.
Japan has been tightening safety and customs inspections of North Korean ships long suspected of smuggling missile parts and narcotics between the two countries.
North Korea will take ``physical retaliation,'' including "all means and methods an independent country can take,'' once it concludes that the recent moves by the allies violate its sovereignty, Rodong said in a commentary monitored by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
"There is no guarantee that this blockade will not lead to such a serious condition as a full-scale war,'' said Rodong. "If war breaks out between the north and the United States, it will not be limited to the Korean peninsula but all the areas where aggressors are lurking will become our targets.''
North Korea accused Japan of turning itself into the "base camp for US aggression against Korea" and cooperating with what it called a US plan to "stifle" North Korea.
"Given this background, once flames of war erupt on the Korean peninsula, they could quickly spread to Japan,'' Rodong said.
Japan has been tightening safety and customs inspections of North Korean ships long suspected of smuggling missile parts and narcotics between the two countries.
Bureau Report