South Korea reportedly has developed a preemptive attack plan against North Korea aiming to destroy the northern capital Pyongyang in case of a nuclear attack emanating from the north.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korea has developed a preemptive attack plan against North Korea aiming to destroy the northern capital Pyongyang in case of a nuclear attack emanating from the north, local media said Sunday.

"Every Pyongyang district, particularly where the North Korean leadership is possibly hidden, will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosive shells as soon as the North shows any signs of using a nuclear weapon. In other words, the North's capital city will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map," a South Korean military source told the Yonhap news agency.

The plan provides for the use of South Korean-made Hyunmoo ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to mainly target the North Korean leadership in cases of both nuclear and conventional war being attempted by the north, according to the source.

North Korea confirmed on Friday that it had carried out a nuclear test in the country's northeast. The blast is believed to be the fifth and largest since Pyongyang began pursuing nuclear and ballistic missile programs, drawing condemnation from the international community.

In response to the test, the South Korean Defense Ministry presented the Massive Punishment & Retaliation (KMPR) concept which reportedly contains the plans to annihilate sections of the North Korean capital.