Updated: North Korea Ends Armistice With South Korea, Prepares for War?

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has declared invalid the armistice of 1953 with South Korea, ending the truce between the countries, and has cut off the direct phone connecting the two governments.

"The U.S. has reduced the armistice agreement to a dead paper," declared the Supreme Command of North Korea's army, according to CNN. The isolated Pacific nation is blaming the U.S. and the U.N. for imposing tougher sanctions on the Kim Jong Un-led government after it carried out nuclear tests on February 12, defying international regulations.

North Korea has also cut off the direct phone link it had with its southern neighbor at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, which served as an emergency line of communication between the two sides.

"We called at 9 a.m. and there was no response," a government official from South Korea said, according to Reuters.

A report by North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun added that its decision now allowed its army to carry out a "strike of justice at any target anytime, not bound to the armistice agreement and achieve the national reunification, the cherished desire of the Korean nation."

Although an official peace treaty was never signed, the 1953 armistice stopped military action and allowed for the two Korean nations to begin restoring basic diplomatic relations. Read more

Also read
North Korea cuts off hotline to South
US dismissive of 'bellicose rhetoric' after North Korea nullifies armistice
North Korea Declares War Truce 'Invalid'
U.S., China Resist Tough Response to N.Korean Threats
Kim Jong-un's Secret Billions