SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened Wednesday to wage a "death-defying war" if the United Nations Security Council adopts any statement that blames the communist state for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March.The warning comes as the 15-member Council is debating a South Korean request for a statement that condemns the North for the Yellow Sea sinking that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
Should a Council statement blame Pyongyang in any way for the sinking, the North's "military and people will view it as a grave act of infringement on our national dignity and will not hesitate to wage a death-defying war to defend sovereignty," the North's Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland said.
The committee that handles inter-Korean affairs apparently targeted South Korea and the United States in its statement released through the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea has already threatened an "all-out war" if it is sanctioned or punished for the sinking. The communist country has disputed the veracity of the South Korea-led probe and demands that Seoul accept an inspection group from Pyongyang for verification.