The South Korean government cannot accept North Korea using recent military drills between Seoul and Washington as a pretext for its "unlawful" provocations, a Seoul official said Monday.

The remarks by the foreign ministry official came after the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) disclosed a recent series of its military drills, including those involving the operation of a nuclear-capable missile at a "silo under a reservoir."

"(South Korea) cannot accept North Korea using the South Korea-US exercises as a pretext to justify unlawful provocations," the official said on condition of anonymity. "We urge the North to immediately stop missile provocations that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

The official also expressed "serious" concerns over the North continuing to pose threats to peace on the peninsula and beyond through such moves as its recent codification of a nuclear policy that leaves open the possibility of nuclear preemptive strikes in a contingency.

"Our government will unwaveringly take a holistic approach under which we deter North Korean threats, dissuade the North from its nuclear development and pursue denuclearization through dialogue and diplomacy," the official said. (Yonhap)