North Korea: Breaking With the Armistice Agreement

North Korea has declared it is no longer bound by the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War now that South Korea has joined the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). It also warned that its military would respond with "prompt and strong military strikes" to any attempts by Seoul or Washington to intercept North Korean vessels under the PSI. Pyongyang's latest move serves both to bolster the sense of embattlement at home and to encourage greater efforts in the ongoing 150-day economic campaign. It also lays the groundwork for reshaping the focus of any future negotiations with the United States.