Stephanie Nebehay
Reuters
June 3, 2010
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
- {openx:49}
A North Korean envoy said on Thursday that war could erupt at any time on the divided Korean peninsula because of tension with Seoul over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.
“The present situation of the Korean peninsula is so grave that a war may break out any moment,” Ri Jang Gon, North Korea’s deputy ambassador in Geneva, told the United Nations-sponsored Conference on Disarmament.
North Korea’s troops were on “full alert and readiness to promptly react to any retaliation,” including the scenario of all-out war, he told the forum.
Ri, departing from his prepared remarks, said that only the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries would lead to the “successful denuclearization” of the peninsula. The 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice but no formal peace treaty.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!