North Korea's propaganda websites on Monday condemned UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, viewed as a potential candidate for South Korea's presidential election next year, for siding with the US and conservative groups.

Ban has become an object of ridicule and condemnation as he has called for a swift adoption of UN Security Council resolutions to punish North Korea's latest nuclear test, according to dprktoday.com, one of the North Korean propaganda sites for outside online users.

"He is struggling to earn support from conservative groups ahead of the presidential election by uttering words designed to stoke confrontation against Pyongyang while following Washington," the website said.

Ban, whose second five-year term as the UN chief ends in December, has been considered a strong presidential candidate, although he has not explicitly mentioned his intent to run for the election slated for December 2017.

The UNSC is working on a fresh set of sanctions over North Korea's fifth nuclear test in September. North Korea was already slapped with tougher sanctions in March for its nuclear test in January and the long-range rocket launch.

Tongil Sinbo, a North Korean weekly propaganda magazine, also cast a similar view.

It claimed that the UN chief is pushing for sanctions against North Korea in a bid to curry favor with the US and President Park Geun-hye.

A day earlier, the North's main propaganda website, Uriminzokkiri, called Ban a US stooge.

"It would be a miscalculation that he believes he could easily win the presidential election if he sides with the US and Park," it said. (Yonhap)