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According to the LA Times, the Korean Central News Agency said North Korea no longer feels pressured by the food aid agreement and will continue with space ambitions.

"We have thus become able to take necessary retaliatory measures, free from the agreement," said the Korean Central News Agency.  "The U.S. will be held wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences."

The United States reneged on sending 240,000 tons of food aid to North Korea because the country pressed on with the rocket launch, despite international condemnation.  By canceling the deal, the United States forfeited their right to send inspectors into the country for the first time in three years, said the New York Times.

North Korea also rejected the U.N. Security Council's condemnation of the rocket launch, calling the decision "unreasonable," said the Washington Post.  North Korea maintained the launch was purely for observational purposes despite a handful of nations calling it a violation of bans against nuclear and missile activity.

On Tuesday a senior U.S. military officer said the United States would not rule out a surgical strike on North Korea's atomic site, saying Washington was looking at "all options" to discourage a third nuclear test, said Reuters. 

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