The North Korean military has again threatened South Korea with an all-out confrontation, blaming the South for raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

A spokesman for the North Korean military's General Staff told the North's official news agency on Thursday that the South should not forget that the North is fully prepared for an all-out confrontation.

He said the South Korean government has only itself to blame for the increased security concerns and recent inter-Korean conflicts.

The spokesman threatened that the North Korean military and people would pursue merciless measures in the event the South continues to seek to invade the North.

On January 17th, the North Korean military said Seoul had opted for confrontation in dealing with the North and warned that its revolutionary armed forces were compelled to take an all-out confrontational posture.