Since last week, North Korea had been threatening to scrap the armistice after the U.N. Security Council passed tougher sanctions against it in response to its February 12 nuclear test.

 

On Monday, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that the Supreme Command of North Korea's army had done so.

 

"The U.S. has reduced the armistice agreement to a dead paper," the newspaper said.

 

North Korea also cut off direct phone links with South Korea at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The phone line was the emergency link for quick, two-way communication between the two sides.