EXPLOSIVE

North Korea Threatens South

Abandons treaty, activates nuclear reactor.

North Korea is issuing dark threats to its neighbor to the south. "Those who provoke [North Korea] once will not be able to escape its unimaginable and merciless punishment," the country’s news agency said Wednesday. As punishment for joining an operation to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, North Korea renounced a 1953 treaty halting Korean War infighting: North Korea’s military will no longer guarantee the safety of South Korean or U.S. ships off its waters, nor will they respect the status of five South Korean islands. North Korea’s nuclear test earlier this week outraged the West, and now, according to a South Korean newspaper citing an unidentified government official, U.S. spy satellites have detected steam over North Yongbyon's nuclear complex, which suggests they may have begun reprocessing nuclear fuel. The UN Security Council is discussing a resolution on the matter that may include more sanctions, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned there would be “consequences.” About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.