North Korea News: Kim Jong Un Conducts 'Malicious Threat' Targeting South Korean Presidential Blue House

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un conducted a special operations drill under his guidance targeting South Korea, Pyongyang's media reported Sunday. The move comes as Seoul continues to remain on alert over growing threats from the North.

The North's KCNA state news agency reported that the country's forces conducted the combat exercise, but did not specify the date. A report in Pyongyang's Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed photos of a mockup of South Korea's presidential Blue House as a target.

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has increased its military alert to the highest level in case of any provocation by North Korea, including possible cyberattacks.

"We are ready to retaliate if North Korea makes any provocations and we condemn its malicious threat," a South Korean military official told Reuters.

Relations between the two Koreas further soured this year after North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and several ballistic missile tests. The North's tests have brought tighter U.N. Security Council sanctions. However, North Korea and its leader have showed no willingness to compromise on its nuclear and missile programs.

The Rodong Sinmun pictures included one of Kim observing the exercise through binoculars.

"Watching the brave service personnel independently and pro-actively perform their combat duty destroying specified targets of the enemy, he said with a broad smile on his face: 'Well done, the enemy troops will have no space to hide themselves, far from taking any counteraction'," KCNA reportedly cited Kim as saying.