President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that North Korea could self-destruct unless it embraces change, the latest in a series of strongly worded warnings aimed at pressuring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear weapons program.

Tensions have spiked on the divided Korean Peninsula as North Korea has ratcheted up its bellicose rhetoric in response to the massive military drills under way between South Korea and the United States.

North Korea could "trod the path of self-destruction by itself if it does not move toward the path of change while continuing its provocations and strong confrontation with the international community," Park said in a Cabinet meeting.

Hours earlier North Korea announced its plans to carry out more nuclear warhead and ballistic missile tests.

Pyongyang's move is widely seen as the latest sign of defiance against tough U.N. sanctions imposed on the communist country for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7.

The sanctions call for, among other things, the mandatory inspection of all cargo going into and out of the North, and a ban on the country's exports of coal and other mineral resources to cut off North Korea's access to hard currency.

Park called on the military to maintain readiness to retaliate against North Korea if Pyongyang stages provocations against Seoul. (Yonhap)