By Yi Whan-woo



North Korea warned of a nuclear missile attack on South Korea, Friday, in response to Seoul's decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.



In a statement issued by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which handles inter-Korean affairs, the North said the South will pay a price in most harsh and brutal ways, calling the decision an "unpardonable atrocity."



This was the first reaction from North Korea after the Ministry of Defense announced, Wednesday, that THAAD will be located in Seongju to counter Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats.



Pyongyang previously vowed to take "physical measures" after South Korea and the United States decided on where to locate THAAD, an advanced U.S. missile defense system.



"The deployment of THAAD will be an unpardonable atrocity that will turn the Korean Peninsula into a theater of war and let its fate fall to the hands of outside forces," the committee was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency. "The deployment will accelerate the division of the Korean people while providing the perpetrators from the U.S. to invade South Korea eternally."



Citing opposition from China and Russia against deploying THAAD, the committee raised the possibility of military conflict among regional powers in Northeast Asia. It claimed that there may be "a nuclear strike on THAAD through a means of unknown nationality."



"We can't let that happen considering we have the power for self-defense. And we'll let the government of Park Geun-hye pay the price in the most harsh and brutal ways for betraying the Korean people," the committee said.



The Kim Jong-un regime also said it will continue to develop nuclear weapons for "self-defense."



"We know South Korea is riding on the back of the U.S. to increase pressure on us as we're consolidating our reputation as a nuclear state while Seoul's denuclearization first policy has been failing," it said. "But no matter how hard Seoul tries, we'll enhance our nuclear arms capabilities both quality- and quantity-wise."



The committee cited protests from residents in Seongju and opposition lawmakers in Seoul as well, in what was seen as a move to intensify a rift within South Korean society over THAAD.



The Ministry of Unification accused North Korea of "slander and libel," Friday.



"It is North Korea that has been threatening peace on the peninsula through a series of nuclear and missile provocations despite warnings from us and the international community," the ministry said.



"The government's decision concerning THAAD was a measure of self-defense to ensure national security and the people's safety.



"We strongly denounce Pyongyang for trying to cause a division in our society through its slander and libel," it said.



The Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Forces Korea initially planned to announce the THAAD location late July when they agreed on its deployment on July 8.



But the government made the announcement this week amid growing confusion over the location nationwide.



