Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Tensions are high between Pyongyang and the International community following North Korea’s decision to expel UN inspectors and abandon six party talks.  The communist regime is threatening to restart the reactors and carry on with their nuclear program.

The United States have condemned the “provoking threats” of the North Korean regime, defining them as “a step in the wrong direction”.  Washington is joined by China, Russia Japan and other nations in renewing its invitation to Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table.  North Korea says their position is “unjust” because it violates international law and is an “intolerable insult” to the Korean people.

Tensions between North Korea and the International Community came to a head in the aftermath of the April 5th missile launch by Pyongyang: the communist regime maintains that it was a telecommunications satellite for their space program; the United States and Japan believe that it was a failed test of a rocket capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

International Analysts define Pyongyang’s harsh stance a san attempt to force the hand of the US administration, which under President Barak Obama seems to favour dialogue; the North is seeking bigger economic concessions. The North Korean population still languishes in hunger and poverty and its children exploited as a “labour force”.