Tensions escalate on Korean peninsula

A South Korean soldier sets up a barricade on the road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

North Korea announced it will withdraw all workers from the Kaesong joint industrial complex, five days after unilaterally banning South Korean workers re-entry to Kaesong. The North has also urged all foreign companies and tourists in South Korea to evacuate the country.

Read more:North Korea warns foreigners to evacuate the South

Visitors look over North-South Korea industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, through binoculars at Dora Observation Post in demilitarized zone (DMZ) near border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, on April 9, 2013 — Won Dae-hyun/AP

Visitors look over the North-South Korea industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, through binoculars at Dora Observation Post in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

The massive industrial site, run jointly by the North and South for nearly a decade, was a virtual ghost town Tuesday, its South Korean managers left to wander past shutdown assembly lines or stuff their cars to the brim with whatever goods would fit before heading south for the Demilitarized Zone that divides the nations.

A cultivator passes by a military check point connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

U.S. Army soldiers conduct their annual military drills in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, April 9, 2013.

North Korea on Tuesday urged all foreign companies and tourists in South Korea to evacuate, saying the two countries are on the verge of a nuclear war. The new threat appeared to be an attempt to scare foreigners into pressing their governments to pressure Washington and Seoul to act to avert a conflict.

A South Korean truck driver sit in his seat at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean protesters participate in a rally denouncing the annual joint military exercises, Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States, near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

A road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge sits empty in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

PAJU, SOUTH KOREA - APRIL 09: A South Korean worker ais surrounded by members of the media as he arrives from the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea at the inter-Korean transit office on April 9, 2013 in Paju, South Korea. North Korea announced it will withdraw all workers from Kaesong joint industrial complex, five days after unilaterally banning South Korean workers re-entry to Kaesong. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A South Korean soldier stands at a check point in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean soldiers stand at a check point in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

An inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean cars arrive from the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean soldiers sit in a truck at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean workers arrive with products from the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

A South Korean soldier stands at a check point in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean soldiers sit in a truck at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

A South Korean worker is surrounded by members of the media as he arrives from the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea at the inter-Korean transit office, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean workers arrive from the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

North Koreans stand along a highway leading to Pyongyang, April 9, 2013. The building, shaped like a ringed planet, is a planetarium at the Three Revolution Exhibition Hall.

U.S. Army soldiers prepare for an exercise during annual military drills in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, April 9, 2013.

North Korea has unleashed a flurry of war threats and provocations over U.N. sanctions for its last nuclear test, and over the ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills, which the allies say are routine but Pyongyang says is a preparation for a northward invasion.

South Koreans look out a bus window upon their arrival from North Korea's Kaesong at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

A South Korean vehicle with products from North Korea's Kaesong is surrounded by media upon arrival at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean workers carry boxes from North Korea's Kaesong upon its arrival at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

A South Korean woman, center, is escorted by a security guard upon her arrival from North Korea's Kaesong at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013.

South Korean soldiers patrol along a barb-wire fence near Dorasan in Paju, South Korea, April 9, 2013 in Paju, South Korea.