2010-06-01 22:30

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday accused the United States of straining the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the official KCNA news agency reported.

A commentary carried by Rodong Sinmun said the United States, regarding the sinking of "Cheonan" as "a golden opportunity to ignite the second Korean War," is aimed at "internationalizing sanctions against the DPRK and using South Korea as a servant for carrying out its Asian strategy."

"It is clear that the case is a product of the moves to justify the permanent presence of the US forces in South Korea," the commentary said.

The case of the warship sinking also helped Washington settle the controversial issue of the US military base in Japan's Futenma, it added.

The commentary warned that the anti-DPRK campaign of the US and South Korean authorities had created a "touch-and-go situation" on the peninsula and put the process of denuclearizing the peninsula "on the verge of collapse."

"Cheonan," a South Korean naval ship with 104 crew members onboard, sank on March 26 near the maritime border with the DPRK after an unexplained explosion, killing 46 sailors.

South Korea released the results of a multinational investigation on May 20, which concluded that "Cheonan" was torpedoed by a DPRK submarine.

The DPRK vehemently rejected the accusation and warned that any retaliation would lead to an "all-out" war.