North Korea on Thursday threatened to scrap all military assurance agreements with its closest neighbour and warned of an immediate attack should Seoul intrude on the disputed maritime border, further raising tension on the Korean peninsula.
The threat to abandon the agreements - designed to prevent accidental armed clashes and protect the safety of South Korean workers in the North - came as Seoul elevated its alert level and began anti-submarine exercises off the west coast of the peninsula.
Chinese responses...............were less welcome....by Seoul and Tokyo......
on Saturday with Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, meeting his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Beijing's response to the sinking of the warship has been guarded and this makes it less likely that South Korea will be able to marshal support for tougher sanctions at the United Nations