Seoul, June 11: North Korea said today that US pressure on the Stalinist state since the Iraq war had gone beyond a "danger line" and warned Washington to reflect on the consequences of war. "A war is neither a sports match nor an amusement game. It is a life-and-death battle," said Rodong Sinmum, North Korea's ruling party mouthpiece.
Hawks in the administration of President George W. Bush should understand that war against Iraq was a far-cry from the real thing.
"If the Bush bellicose forces ignite the second Korean war ... they will know what a real war is like and only death and doom will await the aggressors," the newspaper said in a commentary.
"The US pressure upon the DPRK (North Korea) over its nuclear issue and reckless moves to start a nuclear war have gone beyond the danger line since the end of the Iraqi war," it added.
Pyongyang regularly accuses Washington of planning a preemptive strike that will ignite a nuclear conflict.
The Stalinist state has been spooked by recent announcements that Washington is adding 11 billion dollars over the next four years to defence spending in South Korea while realigning its troops out of range of North Korean artillery. Bureau Report