North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has told his military it may have to go to war, but only if the South attacks first.
South Korea accused the reclusive North on Thursday of torpedoing one of its warships, heightening tension in the region.
North Korea on Tuesday signalled it could return to nuclear disarmament talks it had declared dead six months ago.
North Korea said on Monday it would reopen its border with the South, ending a self-imposed blockade on a vital source of income for its leaders.
Bill Clinton left North Korea on Wednesday with two American journalists, having secured their release in a meeting with the hermit state’s leader.
North Korea said it successfully conducted a nuclear test on Monday, a move certain to further isolate the prickly state.
North Korea has put a long-range missile in place for a launch the US warned would violate UN sanctions already imposed on the reclusive state.
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/ 20 January 2009
North Korea on Tuesday accused the South of driving the divided peninsula back into war.
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/ 12 November 2008
North Korea said on Wednesday it will close its land border with the South from next month, largely putting a stop to the few exchanges that exist.
United States and South Korean negotiators on Sunday struggled to seal a major trade deal with a deadline just hours away and neither side daring to predict the outcome. They face a 4pm GMT deadline — noon in Washington and 1am on Monday in Seoul — to reach what would be the largest US trade pact in 15 years.