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The U.S. and South Korea put their military forces on high alert Thursday after North Korea renounced the truce keeping the peace between the two Koreas since 1953. The North also accused the U.S. of preparing to attack, and warned it would retaliate to any hostility with "merciless" and dangerous ferocity.

North Korea threatened military action Wednesday against U.S. and South Korean warships plying the waters near the Koreas' disputed maritime border, raising the specter of a naval clash just days after the regime's underground nuclear test.

North Korea may launch a controversial three-stage rocket as early as Saturday. The long-range rocket would be similar to an intercontinental ballistic missile, but would carry a satellite. Obama has said the launch would strain the diplomatic process with North Korea, and Japan has already sent warships toward the North Korean coast.

On her first official trip abroad since joining the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton is defining the kind of secretary of State she wants to be. Because she is well-known and admired, ordinary people, especially young people, have been eager to hear her.

National Geographic's Tom O'Neill documented three defectors' escapes along the Asian "underground railroad." He tells NPR about their terrifying journeys, and how the defectors continued to hide even when they made it to South Korea.

Thailand's political unrest is hurting its tourism industry. After protesters seized the country's two main airports, tourists started canceling their holiday plans. The airports are open, but Thailand's image has been tarnished.

As questions swirl over Kim Jong Il's health, there is no sign he has relinquished control over the secluded North Korea. Experts say that whoever succeeds Kim may feel compelled to demonstrate control through military means.

Today in Seoul, right-wing veterans of the Korean War staged a counter-demonstration, claiming that the tens of thousands of Koreans who have been protesting plans to import U.S. beef are being used by North Korea's communists. Meanwhile, protesters observed the sixth anniversary today of the deaths of two South Korean girls who were run over by a U.S. military vehicle.

After an estimated 80,000 people demonstrated Tuesday against South Korea's plan to resume importing U.S. beef, the president promised that his government would make a fresh start — and his entire Cabinet offered to resign.

A week ago, South Korea's president said the country would resume full imports of American beef. Now, he says he won't allow in beef from older cattle — those more than 30 months old. The backpedaling came after widespread public protest. But the decision could threaten a broader free trade deal.