South Korea says North Korea should stop its threats and work to improve its human rights conditions.

An official of South Korea's Unification Ministry on Wednesday responded to Pyongyang which had blamed Seoul for its plans to install a UN human rights field-based structure.

The official stressed that the human rights office is in line with a relevant United Nations resolution.

In an apparent reference to the North's threat of a "merciless punishment," the official called on Pyongyang to stop its threats. The official also urged the North not to ignore the international community's interest in North Korea's human rights issues and stressed it's desirable for the country to try to improve the situation for itself. 

On Monday, Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea issued a statement saying that opening the UN office in South Korea is a scheme concocted by Seoul and Washington. It threatened to respond with "merciless punishment."