North Korea, in another blast of rhetoric directed at Seoul and Washington, declared it was entering a 'state of war'. South Korea took the statement lightly, saying it was just 'tough talk'.
North Korea also said it would shut down an industrial zone near the 38th parallel, the heavily armed border zone between the two countries. The reason for the threat to shut down the complex is if Seoul continued to say that the area 'was being kept running for money'.
A truce ended their 1950 to 1953 conflict, but technically the two sides are still in a stae of war. Even with the sabre rattling, few people believe that Pyongyang will push through with its rhetoric in the face of certain defeat should it restart the war.
The official statement from the KCNA news agency read, "From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly." The official news agency of North Korea said the statement was jointly made by the government, ruling party and other organizations.
As for South Korea, a defense ministry official downplayed the threats as there was no sign of unusual activity from the North on the DMZ.
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