North Korea threatens 'sea of fire' in Seoul

SEOUL: North Korea's military lambasted South Korea Thursday for a military exercise near the disputed sea border, threatening a "sea of fire" in Seoul if any future drill violates its territory.

The supreme military command said the major drill, conducted by the South Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the North's deadly attack on a frontline island, represented a new political and military provocation.

"The military warmongers must remember the lesson taught by the sea of fire on Yeonpyeong island," the command said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official news agency.

"If it dares slander our dignity again and if our sea, airspace or land is breached by a single bullet or bombshell, the sea of fire on Yeonpyeong would spread to a sea of fire engulfing the (presidential) Blue House," it said.

"Our revolutionary armed forces are fully prepared to engage in acts of hostility to deal with any forms of military provocation."

The North shelled Yeonpyeong near the Yellow Sea border on November 23 last year. It said it was retaliating for an artillery drill by the South on the island which dropped shells into the North's maritime zone. (AFP)