The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday warned of "stern punishment" for what it called "anti-DPRK hostile acts" from South Korea, the official KCNA news agency reported.

A spokesman from the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces listed a number of statements and actions from South Korea since March 6, saying that those "moves" could only be interpreted as "confrontation."

South Korea began "Key Resolve" joint military exercises on Monday with the United States despite DPRK's warning of annulment of the armistice agreement that halted the Korean War (1950-53).

The DPRK also threatened to launch a preemptive nuclear strike for self-defense if the United States "dared to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war."

The spokesman named the U.S. and the South Korean military as its "major target of all-out action for defending the sovereignty and the first target of merciless strike."

Tensions have been running high on the Korean Peninsula since the DPRK conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12 as countermeasures against U.S.-South Korean joint military drills.