South Korea said it will strike back at North Korea and target its top leadership if Pyongyang launches a threatened attack against Seoul.

South Korea said it will strike back at North Korea and target its top leadership if Pyongyang launches a threatened attack against Seoul.

"If North Korea undertakes provocation and threatens the lives and safety of our people, we make it clear that we have all preparations in place for a strong and decisive punishment not only against the source of the aggression and its support forces but also the commanding element," a major general of the South Korean military told a press conference on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea threatened to scrap the armistice agreement ending the 1950-53 Korean War, in response to what it says are "hostile" drills between U.S. and South Korean forces.

One of North Korea's top generals, in a rare appearance on state television, said Pyongyang had torn up its armistice deal with Washington and threatened military action against the U.S. and South Korea if the drills went ahead. The military exercises began on March 1.