Earlier today, North Korea blasted UN sanctions punishing the country for its nuclear test. A Foreign Ministry statement, aired on the nation’s official Korean Central News Agency, stated, “The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war… (North Korea) had remained unfazed in any storm and stress in the past when it had no nuclear weapons. It is quite nonsensical to expect the DPRK to yield to the pressure and threat of someone at this time when it has become a nuclear weapons state.”

China has been a close ally of the the North, but relations have been put under pressure in recent months. Following the nuclear test last week, China’s UN ambassador called for “punitive actions” against the nation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao warned North Korea of aggravating tensions, saying that they should resolve the situation “through dialogue and consultation.”

China, whose support for the sanctions is key to whether they will have any impact on neighboring North Korea, began examining trucks at the North Korean border. The measures ban trade with the North in major weapons and materials that could be used in its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs. They call for all countries to inspect cargo to and from North Korea to enforce the prohibition…

…South Korea has said it would fully comply with the sanctions but has also indicated that it has no intention of halting key economic projects with the North, despite concerns that they may help fund the North’s nuclear and missile programs. “Sanctions against North Korea should be done in a way that draws North Korea to the dialogue table,” South Korean Prime Minister Han Myung-sook said Tuesday ahead of her meeting with Fradkov, according to Yonhap news agency. “There should never be a way that causes armed clashes.”

Yesterday, the office of US National Intelligence Director John Negroponte confirmed that North Korea had indeed conducted a successful underground nuclear explosion. The statement was the first official confirmation from the US after air samples gathered last week were found to contain radioactive materials. As of yet, it is unclear as to how the White House will be able to blaim this declaration of war on Bill Clinton. Sources report that Fox News is hard at work on the problem.

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