Seoul, June 25 (DPA) North Korea ratcheted up tension on the Korean Peninsula Thursday, threatening nuclear retaliation and insisting it would never give up its atomic weapons.
In an opinion piece published by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on the anniversary of the start of the Korean War (1950-53) when the North Korean army attacked the South, Pyongyang threatened to rain a “fiery shower of nuclear retaliation” on its neighbour in case of aggression.

At the same time, the Stalinist state stressed it would never give up its nuclear weapons. The article reiterated accusations that the US was pursuing a “hostile policy” and was out to provoke war by assurances that South Korea was protected by a “nuclear shield.”

The shield provided even stronger justification for the North to have its nuclear deterrent, Rodong Sinmun wrote.

The commentary was the latest reaction to a meeting between US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung Bak in Washington last week. The two presidents reiterated their tough stance in the dispute over the North’s nuclear programme.

The UN Security Council passed new sanctions against the country after North Korea tested a nuclear weapon May 25, its second test since 2006.