U.S. officials are reportedly warning of possible “lethal” military action by North Korea as the regime is ramping up its military provocation and rhetoric against South Korea.

Jon Finer, deputy national security advisor at the White House, told a forum organized by the U.S. think tank Asia Society on Thursday that North Korea is continuing to pursue a negative path.

Daniel Russell, vice president of the Asia Society and former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also said at the forum that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears intent on carrying out an attack beyond the 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, calling for preparations for a possible shocking move.

In his speech to the Supreme People's Assembly on January 15, Kim called for a constitutional amendment to delete terms such as “independence,” “peaceful reunification” and “national unity” from the document and educate the public to regard South Korea as the “principal enemy.”

The New York Times on Thursday quoted multiple U.S. officials as saying that there is a possibility that Pyongyang will take lethal military action against the South in the next few months after adopting a hostile policy stance.

The officials reportedly assessed that Kim's recent remarks have been more aggressive than previous statements and should be taken seriously.

They warned that although this does not pose an imminent risk of all-out war on the Korean Peninsula, the regime leader could carry out strikes in a way that would avoid rapid escalation, such as the North’s bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.

[Photo : YONHAP News]