North Korea vows to bolster war defenses

Updated 3:10 a.m. EST

PYONGYANG, North Korea North Korea vowed Monday to strengthen its defenses amid concerns the country may conduct a nuclear test as a follow-up to last month's long-range rocket launch.

Citing U.S. hostility, Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said in a memorandum that North Korea will "continue to strengthen its deterrence against all forms of war."

The memorandum carried by state media did not say what action North Korea would take to defend itself. However, North Korea has claimed the right to build atomic weapons to protect itself from the United States, which stations more than 28,000 troops in South Korea.

North Korea sent a satellite into space on Dec. 12 aboard a long-range rocket, a launch that the U.S. and its allies have criticized as a test of banned ballistic missile technology.

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In 2006 and 2009, Pyongyang conducted atomic tests after being slapped with U.N. Security Council condemnation and sanctions for similar launches of long-range rockets.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry urged the Washington to dismantle the U.S.-led U.N. Command, which oversees an armistice signed at the close of the Korean War in 1953. It accused the U.S. of trying to turn the U.N. Command into a NATO-like regional military bloc.

"Whether the U.S. immediately dismantles the U.N. Command or not will serve as the acid stone in deciding whether the U.S. will maintain or not its anti-(North Korea) hostile policy," said the memorandum, which was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The Korean War armistice was never replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war 60 years later.

[quincytodd]

This should tell us that we need to establish diplomatic relations with North Korea rather than antagonize it as we're currently doing. This is just more Washington idiocy thanks to the right-wingers who currently run our foreign policies!

[nonpolitico]

Seems that the USA has taken its eye off the ball across the world.
Mr President has spoken: He said "Let`s be Friends" to the Muslims!
They all hate the USA!
North Korea is STILL part of the old USSR model!
Has Obama placed a Carrier Task Force off North Korea? NO!
Has he reacted to the Chinese threats to South Korea? NO!
Had he the Presidential GUTS to deal harshly with the Islamoloons who KILLED AN AMERICAN AMBASSADOR?? NO!
If you take your eye off the road and your hands off the wheel, there is a certainty that you will crash!
Well all the Welfare recipients agree with Obama after he has undermined USA using Exec Orders.
Foreigners are only seeing how far they can go...hence N Korea and its Nuclear threat.
Unfortunately the USA is now run by Left Wing Ideology!
N Korea is a DICTATORSHIP! The only way you get dictators to take notice is the threat of force!!
When the Brits were fighting to get the Falkland Islands back from Argentina, they SANK a battleship!
The totalitarian military got the message!
Obama wants not to "upset" the world, as Liberals always want to talk not act!
If we placed the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Task Force off N Korea, then the Commie retards would maybe get the message!
Still, Reagan was in Charge when the USSR folded.
If Obama had been President in 2000 and 2004, the hostages would still be in Iran, and the Cold War would have been LOST by the USA!
USA needs to Project Power once more, or the present incumbent will (eventually) hand over a subdued and servile USA, which has lost its moral influence on world affairs.
Sad that so many people cannot see the damage being done to the USA in plain sight by these recent political activities!
Sad thing is, the vast majority of United States Citizens hold the American Values that Obama and his cronies are intent on suppressing!
N Korea knows it can disregard the Opinion of the United States!
Well done Dems. You have certainly "Changed" the USA as you promised!

[quincytodd]

Thanks Nonpolitico, for telling the true in reverse! Anyone with half a brain should know by now what a right-wing fanatic Obama has become. Gitmo has yet to be closed, we have no diplomatic relations with Cuba, still have troops in Afghanistan while sending some 3500 back into Iraq and the list goes on and on and on.......

[tsigili]

Sounds like they are brain washing their own people to me.

[UForgotPoland]

Maybe we should stop giving North Korea food if they hate us so much?