North Korea Antagonizing World Powers, Threatens U.S. Ships

Just days after conducting an underground nuclear missile test that roundly drew criticisms from major world powers, North Korea has again stepped into the spotlight by threatening military action against U.S. and South Korean warships located in the disputed maritime border between the North and South. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a stern warning that Pyongyang would face severe, though non-specific, consequences for what she called "provocative and belligerent" acts.

There has been much speculation that the nuclear tests, and likely the most recent threats, are a prelude to the selection of a successor by North Korean tyrant Kim Il Jong. All that is shrouded in the rhetoric of North Korean leaders, however. A recent statement by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea – the name is evidently a misnomer – responded strongly to South Korea’s decision to join an international program to seek out and intercept ships that are suspected of assisting in nuclear proliferation.

Said the statement, "now that the South Korean puppets were so ridiculous as to join in the said racket and dare declare a war against compatriots [North Korea is] compelled to take a decisive measure. The U.N. was already in the midst of determining an appropriate punishment for North Korea in the wake of Monday’s missile testing. Now, further actions will likely have to be considered. Of the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. – Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States – China is said to be the linchpin for any sanctions. Said Kim Sung-han, an international relations professor in Seoul, "Its not going too far to say that China holds the keys on sanctions."