General

North Korea officially ends armistice with South Korea

Be ready ‘to annihilate the enemy’ Kim Jong-un tells troops

In this March 7, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Kim Jong Un uses binoculars to look at the South's territory from an observation post at the military unit on Jangjae islet, in the southwestern sector of the border with South Korea. (KCNA via KNS/AP)

North Korea has dissolved the agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953, as it simultaneously ramps up its military presence along the border with South Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared before military troops positioned near the border and told them to that they should be ready “to annihilate the enemy,” reports The Telegraph.

This latest rallying cry comes after Kim threatened missile attacks on Washington the previous day, saying the American capital city would become a “sea of fire.”

The move towards brinkmanship is in response to a decision by the United Nations Security Council to impose further sanctions on North Korea after it conducted a third nuclear test in February. The UN resolution was unanimously approved by all 15 member countries siting on the council. The sanctions are financial and will also increase efforts to prevent North Korea from shipping banned goods into the country.

South Korea is standing up to the threats. South Korean military spokesperson Kim Min-seok said, in a statement: “If North Korea attacks South Korea with a nuclear weapon, Kim Jong-un’s regime will perish from earth. Although atomic bombs were used twice in the past to end World War II, if the nuclear bomb attacks a free and democratic society, such as the Republic of Korea, mankind would not forgive it.”

Images of Kim visiting cheering troops were broadcast on North Korean state television.

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