North Korea has warned that the Korean Peninsula would be burned to the ground if it were to launch a preemptive strike.

In a military commentary Monday, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) demanded that the new chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) retract and apologize for a statement he made last week.

During his confirmation hearing last Wednesday, JCS Chairman Kim Tae-young said the South will strike the North's nuclear sites if Pyongyang launches a nuclear attack.

KCNA threatened to ban all inter-Korean contacts and projects if the North’s demand is not met.

The statement added that Kim’s recent comment apparently represents the new South Korean government’s policy toward Pyongyang. It said Kim’s remark was a clear setback in efforts toward inter-Korean development as well as joint peace and prosperity.

In response, the presidential office and the Defense Ministry in Seoul said they will not react to the North’s every move. They pledged to tackle related issues based on principle.