North Korea threatens ‘special actions to reduce Seoul government to ashes’

North Korea’s military has warned of imminent “special actions” that would reduce South Korea’s conservative government to ashes within minutes, sharply escalating the rhetoric against its neighbour.

The threat from the North’s military leadership comes amid concerns Pyongyang may be plotting another provocation in the wake of an unsuccessful rocket launch condemned by the UN Security Council as a violation of a ban on missile activity.

For days, North Korea has railed against South Korean president Lee Myung-bak and his country’s conservative media for criticising its rocket launch and the celebrations of the centennial of founder Kim Il Sung’s birth.

But yesterday’s message, distributed by the state-run Korean Central News Agency and attributed to the “special operation action group” of the Korean People’s Army’s Supreme Command, was unusual in its specificity.

“Once the above-said special actions kick off, they will reduce all the rat-like groups and the bases for provocations to ashes in three or four minutes, in much shorter time, by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style,” it said.

The threat comes as North Korea’s new commander-in-chief, Kim Jong Un, makes a strong show of support for the “military first” policy championed by his late father, Kim Jong Il. North Korea marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of its army tomorrow.

Seoul expressed concern that the threats were hurting relations between the countries and increasing animosity.

“We urge North Korea to immediately stop this practice,” a unification ministry spokesman said. “We express deep concern the North’s threats and accusations have worsened inter-Korean ties and heightened tensions.”

The South Korean defence ministry said no special military movement had been observed in the North.

In 2010, after issuing a warning to Seoul, North Korean troops fired artillery at a front-line island in disputed waters held by the South. Four people died.