North Korean Website Slams South's Yoon Suk-Yeol, Labels His Minister Picks 'Pro-US Toadies' 

A major North Korean propaganda website on Thursday has described South Korea’s incoming president Yoon Suk-yeol as “pro-United States” and “confrontational.”

The comments came a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast.

The website Uriminzokkiri attacked Yoon, who has vowed to take a tougher line on weapons tests by Pyongyang.

Yoon is a conservative who is set to take office on May 10.

“Yoon Suk-yeol had aroused shock with such preposterous remarks as ‘pre-emptive strike’ and ‘main enemy,’ and stirred up confrontational madness trumpeting a ‘stronger South Korea-US alliance,’” it said, referring to comments by Yoon that he would carry out a strike on North Korea if signs of attack were imminent, South China Morning Post reported.

The propaganda site criticized Yoon and the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and unification – who have all been picked by the soon-to-be president – as “pro-US toadies.”

“There’s nothing strange for him to nominate pro-US toadies seeking confrontation with the same people,” it added.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s military reported the North’s 13th known weapons test this year, and the first since leader Kim Jong Un vowed to ramp up his development of nuclear arms, CNN reported. Kim committed to strengthening its military arsenal at a military parade on April 25.

"True peace can be trusted and national dignity and national sovereignty can be guaranteed by the powerful self-defense force that can overcome the enemy," Kim said in a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) after the parade.

He said the first mission was "to deter war," but if anyone tried to "to take away the fundamental interests of our country, our nuclear force will have no choice but to carry out its second mission."

In March, Seoul said Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile exploded mid-air soon after lift-off.

“North Korea might not announce failed tests, but it’s too early to say that’s the case, and the latest launch appeared rather successful as it showed some progress,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.