North Korea has threatened to stop dialogue with South Korean authorities following Seoul's adoption of a contingency plan in case of instability in North Korea.

"The South Korean authorities must clearly realize that until they sincerely apologize for criminal actions against our republic, they will be fully excluded from all talks and dialogue on improving relations between the North and South, and ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," the North Korean Defense Commission said in a statement Friday as quoted by Korean Central News Agency.

On Thursday, South Korean media reported that Seoul had adopted a plan to be used in case North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il dies, a coup d'etat takes place or a mutiny occurs.

The North Korean Defense Commission said the South's plan is aimed at toppling the North Korean leadership and said that should the plan be launched "a holy retaliatory war" would start "in order to bring down the outpost of South Korean power."

The Yonhap news agency said South Korea expressed regret at Pyongyang's statement but refused to make further comments.

The latest dispute is yet another disruption to international efforts to restart multilateral discussions on the North Korean nuclear program.

The six-party talks, involving Russia, Japan, China, the United States and North and South Korea came to a halt last April when Pyongyang withdrew in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.

The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution imposing further sanctions on North Korea for missile tests and an underground nuclear test in early June 2009.

MOSCOW, January 15 (RIA Novosti)