North Korea Now Warning of Retaliation

North Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, north of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. South Korea's military was reportedly readying for a nuclear conflict on Wednesday as rival North warned an international push to level sanctions on Pyongyang over its atomic weapons test would be an act to war. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) (Lee Jin-man - AP)

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea stoked regional tensions Wednesday, threatening more nuclear tests and saying additional sanctions imposed on it would be considered an act of war, as nervous neighbors raced to bolster defenses and punish Pyongyang.

South Korea said it was making sure its troops were prepared for atomic warfare, while Japan imposed new economic sanctions to hit the economic lifeline of the communist nation's 1 million-member military, the world's fifth-largest.