Senior N.Korean Official Accuses South of Provoking Tensions

A senior North Korean official condemned the South Korean government's attempt to link Pyongyang to the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in March, saying the actions are provoking conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking at the annual World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Choe Thae-bok, chairman of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, argued that as a result of Seoul's efforts to blame the sinking on the North, war clouds hang heavy over the peninsula.

Choe also claimed that the Cheonan had sunk during a U.S.-South Korea joint military drill. Pyongyang will not tolerate the U.S. and South Korea's attempt to threaten the North's existence and sovereignty, he added.