Bilateral tensions have been mounting since the Cheonan sinkingNorth Korea has announced it will scrap an agreement aimed at preventing accidental armed clashes with South Korea, amid rising tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship.
The move is in retaliation for Seoul blaming Pyongyang for a torpedo attack that sank the Cheonan in March.The announcement comes as the South Korean navy conducts a major anti-submarine drill.
An international probe found the Cheonan was sunk by a Northern torpedo.
North Korea has denied the allegation.
In a statement on the North Korean official news agency on Thursday, the North Korean military also warned that if South Korean vessels crossed the disputed maritime border between the two countries, it would launch an immediate attack.
The BBC’s John Sudworth in Seoul says the announcement is another piece in the picture that is coming out of North Korea of increasing tension.
North Korea had announced on a previous occasion that it was scrapping all previous agreements with South Korea.
South Korean drillThursday’s announcement came hours after 10 South Korean warships took part in an anti-submarine drill.
SINKING OF CHEONAN - KEY DATESContinue reading the main storyMarch 26:Explosion hits naval corvette near disputed maritime border,killing 46 on boardMay 20: Independentinvestigators produce proof North Korean torpedo struck vesselMay 24:South Korea declares trade with North frozen, demands apologyMay 25: North Korea announces it is severing all ties with SouthKorean propaganda fightHow South Korean ship was sunkQ&A: Cheonan sinkingTimeline: North Korean attacksThursday’s South Korean exercise is one of the first visible signs of a raising of South Korea’s defence posture in response to the incident, our correspondent says.
South Korea has meanwhile announced a package of measures, including a halt to most trade. It is also seeking action via the United Nations Security Council.
North Korea announced late on Tuesday that it was cutting all ties with the South. It has also banned South Korean ships and planes from its territory.
It has said it will close the last road link between North and South if South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts of propaganda across the border resume.
With tensions rising rapidly, the North has reacted angrily to trade and shipping sanctions announced by the South.
The two states are technically still at war after the Korean conflict ended without a peace treaty in 1953.
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