North Korea's military accused the United States and South Korea of trying to topple the Pyongyang regime and said it was ready to launch nuclear attacks to frustrate any provocations. The military General Staff cited a South Korean newspaper report as evidence of desperate moves of the US and the South Korea for regime change. There has been no confirmation of the report. The North Korea has previously threatened nuclear attacks in response to what it calls plots for regime change – an especially sensitive topic given leader Kim Jong-Il's age and health.