SEOUL-- The presidential office said Thursday it has no response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's blistering criticism of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration but is keeping a close watch on the regime.

The remark came after Kim said in a Victory Day speech the previous day that he can no longer watch the "indecency" and "bravado" of Yoon and "his military gangsters" and will annihilate both the Yoon administration and the military if they attempt a preemptive strike on the North.

"At the moment, I don't have anything in particular to say," a presidential official told reporters when asked if the presidential office could respond to Kim's message. "All I will say is that we continue to closely watch the situation in North Korea, as we have always done."

Kim's speech marked the first time he has mentioned Yoon by name since his inauguration in May.

Source: Yonhap News Agency