The regime responds to new United Nations sanctions with a threat of "total war" and warns "If the U.S. and the South Korea do not stop military exercises, as of Monday it will be open conflict." "Emergency hotline" between the two countries also shutdown.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - The North Korean Stalinist regime today announced it was ending "all non-aggression agreements" with the south of the peninsula. If Washington and Seoul does not stop joint military exercises, it added, "from Monday Pyongyang will consider itself at war with the forces that threaten it." This is the response of the young Kim Jong-un to the fresh round of sanctions approved yesterday by the UN Security Council.

Pyongyang has also decided to shut down the emergency "hot line" communication channel with Seoul. North Korea said " it is scrapping all non-aggression pacts with South Korea" and closing its hotline with Seoul saying there was "nothing to talk about" given the grave situation.

The North Korean announcement worsens - perhaps up to the limit - the tensions unleashed by the nuclear test carried out by the regime on February 12. Two days ago, Pyongyang threatened to revoke the armistice that ended the Korean War (1950-1953) and that was never followed by a peace agreement. Instead the agreement canceled today is the non-aggression pact signed by the two Koreas in 1991 with the goal of peaceful settlement of differences and to prevent military clashes.

The militaristic rhetoric of the North's government seeks to overcome the disappointment of the population after the new sanctions imposed by the UN. While the old measures prohibited the sale of weapons to North Korea, those approved yesterday affect international financial transfers involving North Korean companies and representatives accused of favoring the nuclear program and development of ballistic missiles.

In addition, all countries now have the right to inspect ships bound for North Korea, deny them access to ports and prohibit North Korean aircraft access to their airspace. There are also restrictions on the sale of luxury goods - such as jewelry and sports cars - to the political elite of North Korea, where half the population lives on less than 1 dollar per day.

Meanwhile, as the tension continues to rise, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited one of the front-line company of troops that bombed South Korea in 2010 and spoke of  "total war." Kim has ensured that the North Korean army is "fully prepared to fight a war in the Korean style."

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