North and South Korea stand on 'the brink of war'

The confrontaion between North and South Korea has escalated with Kim Jong-il's regime claiming it was on the 'brink of war' after tearing up a non-aggression pact signed in 1991.

In a significant escalation of tensions, North Korea cancelled all military and political agreements after accusing Seoul of aggressive posturing.

Pyongyang's decision to nullify all accords increases the prospect of an armed confrontation on the Peninsula, where over a million soldiers face each other across the Demilitarised Zone that divides the two Koreas.

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea blamed the South for pushing the two countries "to the brink of a war".

Pyongyang said it now regarded the maritime border between the two states as "void". The last time the two countries clashed militarily was at the disputed frontier in the Yellow Sea, when their navies fought a deadly gun battle in June 2002.

In comments reported by state media in North Korea, the Committee, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, claimed that the relationship between the two sides had sunk to a new low.

"There is neither way to improve (relations) nor hope to bring them on track," the committee was quoted as saying. It described the agreements as "dead documents" and warned the South that its policies would result in its "shameful destruction". More

SKorea downplays NKorea's vow to drop peace pact