South Koreans burn Northern Kim dynasty in effigy -- North Korea threatens "merciless" strike

North Korea has threatened a “merciless” strike against the South after activists burned effigies of the ruling Kim dynasty on the anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-Il, officials said Friday.

The warning was contained in a message sent Thursday by the secretariat of the National Defence Commission, the North’s highest military body, through a military hotline, the South’s defence ministry said.

In rallies on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-Il, South Korean conservative groups burned effigies of young North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, his late father and grandfather.

The North said the rallies had insulted the “highest dignity” of its leadership, and threatened to take “merciless” retaliatory acts without prior warning, the defence ministry said.