North Korea threatened Thursday to break off all relations with South Korea if its new conservative government continues what the North called a policy of reckless confrontation with the communist nation.

The warning, issued in a commentary carried in the North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper, means Pyongyang could terminate civilian exchanges with the South, including a tourism program, which have continued despite a freeze in their government-level ties.

If the South “keeps to the road of reckless confrontation with the (North), defaming its dignity despite its repeated warnings, this will compel it to make a crucial decision including the total freeze of the North-South relations,” the commentary said.

Pyongyang has been unhappy with South Korea’s new President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February with a pledge to get tough on the rival state _ a stance that contrasted with that of his two liberal predecessors who aggressively sought reconciliation with North Korea by providing massive aid to the impoverished nation.

In protest, North Korea suspended all government-level dialogue and exchanges, though the sides met as part of broader international negotiations on Pyongyang’s nuclear programs and had a one-off military meeting earlier this month marked by no progress.

North Korea has branded Lee a “traitor,” “pro-American sycophant” and “despicable human scum.”

“The Lee group is becoming more frantic in its racket of confrontation with the (North) in league with outside forces,” Thursday’s commentary said, calling Lee “so hell-bent on sycophancy towards the U.S. and confrontation with fellow countrymen.”

The two sides fought the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still at war. Their ties had warmed significantly since the first-ever 2000 summit of their leaders before freezing again this year.