By Islamuddin Sajid

ANKARA (AA) - North Korea’s leader warned South Korea it would be “wiped out” if Seoul ventures any military move against the North, local media said on Thursday.

"Such a dangerous attempt would be punished immediately by powerful forces, and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and his military would be wiped out," Yonhap News Agency quoted Kim as saying in the capital Pyongyang, in his first jab at South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol since he took office this May.

In a speech for what Pyongyang calls "Victory Day," marking the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, Kim called the South Korean military "military gangsters" and said they will face annihilation if they make any "dangerous attempt" like a preemptive strike, said the report.

Kim said he will no longer tolerate South Korea’s behavior and warned that they will pay the price if it goes on.

Last week, South Korean President Yoon claimed that North Korea is ready to hold a nuclear test at any time.

Earlier Yoon ordered the military to “swiftly and firmly punish” North Korea if it carries out any provocation.

Tension on the peninsula rose in 2020 when North Korea attacked and blew up the inter-Korean liaison office along the border. Seoul warned of a strong response if Pyongyang "further worsens the situation."

However, tensions soared further last year when both Seoul and Pyongyang ramped up drills to show off their military might.

Last month, the US, South Korea and Japan announced plans to bolster security ties and agreed to jointly counter threats from North Korea if Pyongyang carries out another nuclear test.

The US and South Korea have extended several offers of dialogue to North Korea to ease current tensions on the peninsula, but North Korea has not responded.

On May 27, China and Russia vetoed new UN Security Council sanctions that would have been imposed on North Korea in retaliation for its continued ballistic missile tests, which it conducts in violation of previous council resolutions.