News analysis

Pyongyang raising tensions but unlikely to go to war with South Korea

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North Korea is unlikely to start a war with the South despite destroying the inter-Korean liaison office and threatening to send troops into demilitarised zones.

"I don't lose sleep because of North Korean threats, their threats are cheap but they are usually more prudent when it comes to military provocation," said Mr Chun Yung-woo, South Korea's chief negotiator at the 2007 denuclearisation talks.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 18, 2020, with the headline N. Korea raising tensions but unlikely to start war against South. Subscribe