NKorea says it is in a state of war with SKorea

South Korean protesters perform during a rally denouncing the UN’s new sanction against North Korea, and the annual joint military exercises, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, between South Korea and the United States, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. North Korea’s young leader urged front-line troops to be on “maximum alert” for a potential war as a state-run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. AP

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea says it has entered ‘a state of war’ with South Korea in the latest of a string of threats that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

A statement Saturday by Pyongyang said all matters between the sides will be dealt with in a manner befitting war.

Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be on a high alert in response to annual U.S-South Korean drills. He warned his forces were ready “to settle accounts with the U.S.” after two American B-2 bombers flew a training mission in South Korea.

South Korea says the latest threat is a follow-up to Kim’s order.

Analysts say a full-scale conflict is suicidal for Pyongyang and the threats are aimed at drawing Washington into talks.