N Korea threatens to attack South's media

Last Updated: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 23:18:00 +1000

North Korea's military is threatening to blow up the offices of South Korean media outlets following critical coverage of a mass rally by children.

The military general staff, in an unusually detailed statement, said missile units and other forces had fixed the longitude and latitude coordinates for several news firms' offices in central Seoul.

The statement named the Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo newspapers, a TV channel operated by Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, and the KBS, CBS, MBC and SBS television stations.

The North's military accused conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak of inciting the coverage.

It called on him to apologise to avert an attack.

Held responsible

"In case dens of monstrous crimes are blown up one after another, the Lee group will be entirely held responsible for this," it said in what it termed an "open ultimatum".

The military accused the media outlets of "monstrous mud-slinging" over their coverage of an event which brought 20,000 schoolchildren to Pyongyang to mark the 66th anniversary of the Korean Children's Union.

Pyongyang's official Korea Central News Agency reported on Saturday that the children pledged their loyalty to new leader Kim Jong-Un.

"The young delegates could not hold back the endless happiness, " it said.

The North's military accused the South's government and media outlets of portraying the event as a propaganda gimmick staged by Pyongyang's leadership.

The threat prompted police to deploy officers to guard some media outlets.