Kim Jong Un threatens to destroy South Korea with nuclear strikes if provoked

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, centre, visits a special operation forces unit at a western district in North Korea (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons and destroy South Korea permanently if provoked, state media reported on Friday, after the South’s leader warned that Mr Kim’s regime would collapse if he attempted to use nuclear arms.

The exchange of such rhetoric between the rival Koreas is nothing new, but the latest comments come during heightened animosities over the North’s recent disclosure of a nuclear facility and its continuation of missile tests.