North Threatens to Pull Out of Armistice

North Korea threatened today to pull out of the 50-year-old armistice that ended the Korean War, raising the stakes in the increasingly tense war of words with the U.S.

Although North Korea has spewed out a series of belligerent statements lately, this is the first time in the current standoff it has threatened to end the historic pact. It issued the same warning in 1994 during a similar crisis over nuclear arms.

The statement by North Korea’s official news agency was attributed to an army official at Panmunjom. It said the U.S. is considering deploying “huge” forces around the peninsula, and referred to reports that the U.S. might consider sanctions or a naval blockade if the North doesn’t abandon its nuclear program.

If that happens, “the Korean People’s Army will be left with no option but to ... abandon its commitment to implement the armistice agreement,” it said.

The 1953 armistice was signed on South Korea’s behalf by the U.S.-led U.N. command, and American troops have dominated the policing of the DMZ ever since. U.S. officials have accused the North recently of flouting parts of the armistice, which contains regulations about the number of troops and types of weapons allowed in the DMZ.