North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol government and its "military gangsters" will face annihilation should it make any "dangerous attempt" like a preemptive strike, Yonhap reported, citing KCNA.

Kim issued the strongly worded, direct warning against the South's administration, coupled with biting criticism of the United States, in his speech the previous day marking the 69th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

Kim mentioned South Korea's president by name three times in the address, and branded its military as gangsters, citing its stated strategy to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats through the reinforcement of the so-called three-pillar system.

"Such a dangerous attempt would be punished immediately by powerful forces, and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and his military would be wiped out," he said, appearing in public for the first time in 19 days along with his wife Ri Sol-ju for the Pyongyang ceremony.

Also, Kim stressed that his regime is "fully prepared" for any military confrontation with the United States, as he took issue with its joint military exercises with South Korea.