North Korea says South Korea “Hell-Bent” on war


There’s always a lot of tension on the Korean peninsula, but the action just got a little hotter. According to Bloomberg News, the Korea Central News Agency, which is the official mouthpiece of the North Korean regime, “reported” that South Korea “is so hell-bent on the moves to escalate the confrontation and start a war that it is recklessly behaving bereft of reason.” Meanwhile, the KCNA positions North Korea as above reproach, adding that the country is “now maintaining a maximum self-possession and self- control.”

The “news” from the North comes as South Korea amps up the military action with a live fire exercise in conjunction with the United States. North Korea believes that “the exercise will result in shells landing in its territorial waters,” Bloomberg reports.

%Gallery-109277%The latest level of posturing – and actual firing – has led to warnings by the South Korean government:

The South Korean government warned ships to avoid 29 areas around its coast before today’s drill. One zone lies about 7 miles (11 kilometers) off Daecheong, in waters claimed by North Korea that are about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the South Korean mainland.

Never a regime to shy away from a bit of propaganda, the North says:

“The situation on the Korean Peninsula is getting tenser as the days go by and the danger of a war is increasing hour by hour,” the KCNA reported, citing a commentary in the Rodong newspaper. ‘The U.S. is giving spurs to an arms buildup and preparations for a war.”

[photo by jensowagner via Flickr]