North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to use nuclear weapons against South Korea "without hesitation" if his country's sovereignty were threatened, state media KCNA reported on Friday.

During a visit to a special forces training base on Wednesday, Kim said any attempt by South Korea to encroach on the North's sovereignty would bring forth "without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons."

"If such a situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible," Kim said, using South Korea's official name.

Harsh words between two Koreas

Kim's comments came in response to comments from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who warned on Tuesday that any use of nuclear weapons by the North would lead to "the end of the North Korean regime" and threatened Pyongyang with "a resolute, overwhelming response" from South Korea and its US allies.

Yoon's speech, which came on South Korea's Armed Forces Day, followed the unveiling of Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile.

Kim criticized Yoon's threats calling him "an abnormal man."

On Thursday, Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, mocked Seoul's military capabilities, claiming South Korea would not be capable of countering North Korea's nuclear forces with conventional weapons.

Relations at a low point

Current relations between the two Koreas are at a low point, with the North engaging in provocative missile tests, while the South intensifying military exercises with the United States.

Next week, the North Korean parliament is expected to declare a "two-state" system on the Korean Peninsula, formally rejecting reconciliation with South Korea. The rubber-stamp parliament is also expected to codify new national borders.

Diplomatic communication between the countries has been stalled since 2019.

Last month, Pyongyang released images of a uranium enrichment facility, as Kim expressed his desire to "exponentially" expand the country's nuclear weapons arsenal. North Korea's last known nuclear test took place in 2017.

Meanwhile, South Korea, under the US nuclear umbrella for protection, recently resumed anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in response to North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border.

ss/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)