Norks say no to 1953 cease fire

Washington Post:

North Korea announced Wednesday that it is no longer bound by the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War, the latest and most profound diplomatic aftershock from the country's latest nuclear test two days earlier.

North Korea also warned that it would respond "with a powerful military strike" should its ships be stopped by international forces trying to stop the export of missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

The twin declarations, delivered by the country's state news agency, followed South Korea's announcement Tuesday that it would join the navies that will stop and inspect suspicious ships at sea. North Korea has repeatedly said that such participation would be a "declaration of war."

They followed other developments in North Korea that have added to the sense of jangled nerves across northeast Asia since Monday's underground nuclear test.

The North fired three more short-range missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, said Yonhap, the South Korean news agency. North Korea had fired two missiles into the same waters on Monday.

And U.S. spy satellites have detected signs that North Korea has restarted its nuclear plant, a South Korean newspaper reported Wednesday. Chosun Ilbo cited an unnamed South Korean government source as saying that steam has been detected from a reprocessing facility at North Korea's Yongbyon plant.

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A more important question is whether China is still abiding by the 1953 cease fire. Without China the Norks will have a short fiery end to the cease fire if they actually attack anyone. US F-22s could destroy the North Korean air force in a matter of minutes. Missiles and planes with precision guidance could hammer her dug in artillery positions that threaten South Korea. If the North Koreans launch a nuclear attack they should expect more powerful strikes in return.

The NY Times reports that the Norks have threatened attacks on South Korean vessels in disputed waters to the west of the peninsula. That is probably what the misslie firing yesterday was about.

The North Koreans latest biligerance is supposed to be based on the South Korean decision to join the rest of the world in the Proliferation Security Initiative which is intended to keep the Norks from transferring their nukes to others.

North Korea's borders contain land that is not desirable and its people have been so abused they are unproductive and starving. It is a place no one wants and if its wacky rulers start a war there is little infrastructure that is worth saving.