North Korea Cuts Off Hotline: Is Nuclear War Imminent?

The North Korean government, led by the young Kim Jong-un, has disconnected a vital telephone line between it and South Korea. The hotline, considered the main contact between the Kim regime and Seoul, was cut following an announcement in the North's newspaper "Rodong Sinmun" that said that Kim and his associates had officially considered void the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.

As Latin Times reported earlier, Kim announced he would indeed be rejecting the treaty if the United States and South Korean forces did not cease their joint military exercises. The United Nations made clear to Pyongyang that these annual winter drills would be taking place. The South also reassured that the drills are strictly defensive in nature. Nonetheless, Kim recognized the drills as signs of aggression and has begun to take action. The Wall Street Journal reported the drills involve 10,000 Korean troops and 3,000 Americans responding to "computer-driven conflict scenarios."

The South Korean government attempted twice Monday to contact Pyongyang through the now shuttered phone line. However, FOX News reported that there are two remaining means of communication, through the countries' aviation and military authorities. These have been used to grant the daily approval necessary for South Korean employees to enter a joint industrial park near the border city of Panmunjom.

North Korea continues to claim that the Pacific coast of North America is within range of its nuclear missiles, and they continue to test such weapons. Despite this posturing, experts say it will take years for the North Koreans to improve their technology enough to actually produce a weapon capable of reaching the United States.