North Korea has declared “state of war” with South Korea, emphasising that the “long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula as finally over.” The declaration was made through Pyongyang’s Korea Central News Agency (KCNA). It also made some threats to dissolve the United States in a government statement read on Saturday, March 30.

The statement came one day after the North organised a rally participated by North Korea’s men in uniform, with fists in the air, screaming of loyalty and the country’s vision as they marched in the streets in Pyongyang.

“As of now, inter-Korea relations enter a state of war and all matters between the two Koreas will be handled according to wartime protocol,” the government statement said as carried out by Pyongyang’s state-run television. "The long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula being neither at peace nor at war is finally over."

A video of the statement’s excerpt can be watched here.

According to Mirror-UK, the statement also made some threats to the United States should it decide to meddle in the issues raised by North Korea, noting that “will not limit (itself) to limited warfare but to all-out war and nuclear war."

In reaction, The Guardian said that the White House had already issued a warning against North Korea, saying that “any military confrontation would lead to further isolation.”

Noting that the declaration made by North Korea as “unconstructive,” the White House noted that it is taking the threats seriously.

“North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats and today’s announcement follows that familiar pattern,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden, was quoted as saying by The Journal-IE.

For its part, Unification officials in Seoul have remained unfazed by the recent declaration of war made by North Korea. The Unification of Ministry said that the threat was “not really new.” While South Korean officials expressed readiness for any act of war, they pointed that there remains no troop movement along the Korean Peninsula Border, The Journal-IE added, citing reports by the Agence France Presse.

“The border crossing to Kaesong is functioning normally,” the spokeswoman for the Unification Ministry, Park Soo-Jin, was quoted as saying by the Agence France Presse.

The Korean conflict emanated in the war between the two Koreas from 1950-1953. While there’s no declaration of peace nor war between the peninsulas has been declared, each country has continued to strengthen each perspective armistice since then.