North Korea's National Defense Commission issued a stern statement Friday saying it would never deal with the administration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency cited the commission as blasting the Lee administration for its attitude towards the offering of condolences over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The statement referred to the South Korean government as a "gang of traitors" and said it committed a "great crime" in the wake of Kim's death.

A South Korean government official said the statement was disappointing in both content and style, but he said it will not affect Seoul's stance to ease inter-Korean tension and resolve issues through dialogue.

The official expressed hope that the North can quickly stabilize and demonstrate a constructive attitude on inter-Korean ties.

The statement comes just two days before the release of the North's New Year joint editorial which is also expected to carry a similar critical tone of the South.