DPRK: S Korea's preemptive attack to be taken as declaration of war

PYONGYANG, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) regards any preemptive strike South Korea would launch against the North as an "open declaration of war", a military spokesman said Sunday.

The Korean People's Army (KPA) will "take prompt and decisive military actions against any attempt of South Korea to violate the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and blow up the major targets including the commanding center," said the unnamed spokesman for the KPA's General Staff in a statement.

"Our revolutionary armed forces will regard the scenario for 'preemptive strike' which the South Korean puppet authorities adopted as a 'state policy' as an open declaration of war," said the statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

"The 'preemptive attack' remarks reflected the will of the South Korean authorities displeased with the process for improving the inter-Korean relations," the statement added.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told a seminar on Wednesday that South Korea would initiate a "preemptive attack" against the DPRK if there were signs that the DPRK would launch a nuclear attack against it.