North Korea has warned that it will scrap a nonaggression agreement with South Korea and freeze all inter-Korean relations if Seoul tries to punish it for the sinking of the Cheonan naval vessel.

The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea on Friday said in a statement that the North will regard any such attempt by Seoul as an act of war and that a resolute response will be taken in the form of a shutdown of inter-Korean relations.

The statement, carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said that if the South attempts to retaliate, the North will respond strongly, including a total shutdown of inter-Korean ties, the abrogation of the 1992 inter-Korean agreement on reconciliation, nonaggression and exchanges, and the abolition of all cross-border cooperation projects.

The North's statement is viewed as a preemptive response ahead of the South's discussion of punitive measures.