North Korea Says It Cannot Guarantee The Safe Sailing Of U.S. Ships

North Korea, fresh off the latest round of missile firings, has responded to South Korea's decision to join in a ship inspection program that the U.S. initiated a few years ago by calling the South's decision a "declaration of war" and also, is threatening the safety of U.S. ships in the area of five islands off the Korean coast. I've come to the conclusion that the North Koreans haven't been selling nuclear technology information to the Iranians for the typcial monetary remuneration...no, it appears the Iranians have traded their own brand of world defiance for the Koreans' assistance. Seriously, look at the complete about-face by the North Koreans in the past 12 months - from disarming their nuclear weapons to openly inviting war and threatening to strike the United States. A coincidence that this all started when it became apparent that the United Nations had lost all control of Iran's nuclear proliferation? I think not.

Here's some of the details from the article at Breitbart:

North Korea on Wednesday called South Korea's decision on Tuesday to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative "a declaration of war" against it and warned it will respond militarily to any attempt to inspect its ships.

North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's '"full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.

Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.

So what is next? Will the Obama administration actually follow through on its threat of using the PSI ship stoppage? Will the South Koreans continue to feel reassured that America will stand by them if they decide to stop a North Korean vessel? I, personally, cannot see the U.S. coming anywhere near a North Korean ship - in fact, I think we will probably see the following: the North Koreans will PURPOSELY sail a suspect ship into international waters and literally INVITE an interdiction and we will more than likely see the U.S. steer clear of anything to do with that ship.

Barack Obama's personality is one of avoiding conflict - he bailed on his career as an attorney...a vocation that is based on conflict and confrontation, for a "career" as a community organizer. He headed up a committee on Afghanistan yet never made a single trip to that country to observe the military conflict there. Let's face it...Obama's whole campaign was based on some sort of political guerilla warfare, jihad if you may - his use of intimidating "under the radar" caucus tactics won him the nomination over Hillary Clinton. Name one time where Obama has gotten into the face of anyone. When Nicarauga's Daniel Ortega stood up at that podium and slammed America for what seemed hours....Barack Obama sat there. And took it.

So no, I don't see any follow through on any tough talk here but I do predict that North Korean continues to stick that sharp stick in the side of America and South Korea. One more prediction - in the next month or so, you will see South Korea rescind its decision to join the ship inspection initiative as they will have, by then, seen how they have been left out in the wind by Obama.

LEAD: N. Korea warns of military response to inspection of ships+

North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's '"full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The PSI, launched in 2003 by then U.S. President George W. Bush, is an international effort to interdict the transfer of banned weapons and weapons technology.
South Korea has had observer status in the PSI, but the previous government had refrained from full membership so as not to anger the North. It announced its participation after North Korea carried out its second nuclear test on Monday.
North Korea argued it is no longer bound to the armistice, saying that South Korea's participation in the PSI violates international law and denies the armistice.
Once the armistice loses its binding force, the Korean Peninsula "is bound to immediately return to a state of war from a legal point of view and so our revolutionary armed forces will" resort to corresponding military actions, the statement said.
The statement did not elaborate on what the military actions might be.
Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.