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As North Korea pledges to never abandon its nuclear capabilities, theNational Post’s Scott Barber looks at the escalating rhetoric coming from the Hermit Kingdom, and the world’s response.

March 7

The U.S. “is set to light the fuse for nuclear war,” said a spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry after the UN Security Council passes tougher sanctions against North Korea. “[North Korea] will exercise the right to

a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors and to defend the supreme interests of the country.”

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March 11

The United States and South Korea begin annual “Key Resolve” military exercises. In response, North Korea officially quashes the 1953 armistice which ended the Korean War — an act they have done six times since 1994 — and breaks off a Red Cross communication line with South Korea.

March 12

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tells troops to be on “maximum alert,” and that “war can break out right now.”