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DPRK declares to tear up truce agreement

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-27 13:18

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Wednesday that it will no longer stand by the ceasefire agreement ending the 1950-53 Korean War, in response to the Republic of Korea's (ROK's) participation to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

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The ROK's full participation to the US-led program, aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction "dragged the Korean peninsula into the state of war," the DPRK said in a three-point statement.

The DPRK saw the participation as "declaration of war" and if DPRK's ships were intercepted or checked by the PSI members, it would immediately strike back, the official KCNA news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The DPRK accused Washington of "indulging the ROK to participate the PSI," and announced that the armistice was invalidated and Korean peninsula restored to state of war. The DPRK army would take "military actions," said the statement.

The statement also said the DPRK would not guarantee the safety of warships of US and the ROK and civil ships sailing in the region.

The retaliation from the DPRK would be "beyond-imagination" and "merciless," the statement added.

Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) was designed to interdict the trade of weapons of mass destruction. The ROK became its 95th member one day after DPRK said it bombed its second nuclear explosive device Monday.

The ROK announced on Tuesday that it will fully participate in the US-led nonproliferation campaign, one day after the DPRK conducted its second nuclear test.

The DPRK launched an additional short-range missile from its east coast Tuesday night, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.

Pyongyang had launched two short-range missiles from its east coast earlier Tuesday, following firing two missiles on Monday after its claimed nuclear test the same day.