North Korea takes swipe at UN chief following landmine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers

North Korea has accused UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres of taking sides with South Korea following a landmine blast that injured three soldiers.

Seoul has previously demanded an apology for the explosion that occurred on September 21 in the western sector of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

It said that the mine was planted by North Korean troops and constituted a violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement.

Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the mine incident and said its troops were conducting an operation in the DMZ to fortify the border.

North Korea has also accused Seoul of using the incident to depict Pyongyang's border construction as a military incursion.

On Saturday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Mr Guterres encouraged the two Koreas to resume dialogue, including on the military level to avoid unintended accidents.

But Kim Yo Jong, the sister of dictator Kim Jong Un, said Mr Guterres took a “prejudiced and irresponsible” attitude by echoing South Korea’s unilateral claim over the September blast.

“The UN secretary-general’s behaviour of echoing words of the provokers and patronising them without having proper understanding of the fact is not helpful to the detente,” Kim said according to state-owned news agency KCNA.

The accusation follows weeks of rising tensions between the two Koreas. Fears that Kim Jong Un has got his eyes on a “huge” warship have begun to grow as part of the plans to tighten the country’s sea border security.

The leader called for modernising North Korea’s shipyards to build a “powerful navy” after inspecting the construction of a vessel believed to be its latest cruiser last month.

According to KCNA, the warship is “incomparably huge...compared to the destroyer built last year.”

North Korea is building its third Choe Hyon-class destroyer under Kim's five-year defence development plan, which aims ‌to produce two surface warships every year.

The visit came days after South Korea launched a probe into the death of one of its sergeants after the officer suffered “external injuries” at a frontline unit in Cheorwon near the border.

The exact cause and circumstance of his death is currently unknown. It is not currently clear whether the staff sergeant’s death is related to border tensions between the two Koreas.