SEOUL, South Korea — The Cold War still rages in North Korea, and enemy No. 1 is the United States, which Pyongyang blames for making its much-condemned drive to develop nuclear weapons necessary.
A rich vein of propaganda, fueled by decades-old American threats, holds that North Korea remains at risk of an unprovoked nuclear attack, although Washington and others say brinksmanship is the North’s true motive for its nuclear push.
The latest example is a rhetoric-laden statement Tuesday from the North’s Korean People’s Army Supreme Command vowing to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War, citing a U.S.-led push for U.N. sanctions over the North’s recent nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean joint military drills.
North Korea’s third nuclear test, in February, has led even China, its only major ally, to support more U.N. Security Council sanctions. Washington and Beijing have approved a draft resolution that is expected to be circulated this week.
