SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea denounced the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea for calling the communist nation a "criminal regime," saying Saturday his remark was tantamount to a declaration of war. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow made the comment Tuesday, citing alleged illicit activities by North Korea like money laundering and counterfeiting.North Korea called the statement "a sort of provocative declaration of a war" and threatened to "mercilessly retaliate against it," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted an unidentified spokesman for the North's committee on peaceful reunification as saying.
A State Department spokeswoman said the U.S. was trying to verify the North Korean comments and had no immediate response.
| "C'mon guys, wait til we stop laughing, okay?" |