North Korea Looks Back

Technically, the Korean War never ended. In fact, today it may have just restarted itself.

North Korea threatened a military response to South Korean participation in a U.S.-led program to seize weapons of mass destruction, and said it will no longer abide by the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.

“The Korean People’s Army will not be bound to the Armistice Agreement any longer,” the official Korean Central News Agency said in a statement today. Any attempt to inspect North Korean vessels will be countered with “prompt and strong military strikes.” South Korea’s military said it will “deal sternly with any provocation” from the North.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak ordered his government to take “calm” measures on the threats, his office said in a statement today. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Takeo Kawamura, echoed those remarks and called on North Korea to “refrain from taking actions that would elevate tensions in Asia.”

The threats are the strongest since North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on May 25, drawing international condemnation and the prospect of increased sanctions against the communist nation. South Korea dispatched a warship to its maritime border and is prepared to deploy aircraft, Yonhap News reported, citing military officials it didn’t identify.

“This rapid-fire provocation indicates a more aggressive shift in the Kim Jong Il regime,” said Ryoo Kihl Jae, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “Kim is obviously using a strategy of maximum force.”

Needless to say, this is one of those Big Ass Problems that Presidents have to face. If the North Koreans are serious about this, this could get out of control in 24 hours. China could do something, but they won't. I'm not sure what Obama can do.

But in the end, it's still China's ball game. Without China, North Korea falls. If Kim Jong Il pushes too hard, China will have to get it back into line.

Still, breaking the armistice is a serious matter. Getting China to cooperate is the key, and even China has to see how bad this is.