in the face of what it claimed was "the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war," ratcheting up tensions amid international pressure to return to negotiations on its atomic program.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/03/ap/world/mainD8KH6ERO0.shtml
"The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defense measure in response," said the statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea is getting a stern warning from the Bush administration that a nuclear test would be considered "reckless."
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=5490302&nav=0s3d
