<p>North Korea's fury over anti-Pyongyang leaflets launched from the South is driven by "dirty, insulting" depictions of leader Kim Jong-un's spouse, Russia's top envoy in the reclusive country has said.</p>.<p>In recent weeks Pyongyang has issued a series of vitriolic condemnations over anti-North leaflets which defectors based in the South send across the militarised border -- usually attached to balloons or floated in bottles.</p>.<p>The campaigns have long been a point of contention between the two Koreas, but this time, Pyongyang upped the pressure, blowing up a liaison office and threatening military measures.</p>.<p>One of the most recent launches -- carried out on May 31 -- had included provocative imagery of the North's First Lady Ri Sol Ju, sparking "serious outrage" in Pyongyang, according to Russian ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora.</p>.<p>Russia is a key ally of the isolated North and Matsegora is one of the longest serving ambassadors in Pyongyang.</p>.<p>"The leaflets bore a special kind of dirty, insulting propaganda, aimed at the leader's spouse," Matsegora told Russia's TASS news agency on Monday.</p>.<p>They were photoshopped "in such a low-grade way", he added, and served as "the last straw" for the North.</p>.<p>Inter-Korean relations have been in deep freeze following the collapse of a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump early last year over what the nuclear-armed North would be willing to give up in exchange for a loosening of sanctions.</p>.<p>Pyongyang turned its anger against Seoul rather than Washington, despite three summits between the North's leader and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who brokered the first Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore.</p>.<p>The impoverished country is subject to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its banned weapons programmes.</p>.<p>The Russian diplomat also dismissed speculation that Kim's younger sister was being trained as the next leader of North Korea.</p>.<p>Since early June, Kim Yo Jong -- a key adviser to her brother -- has been the face of Pyongyang's highly aggressive stance towards the South over the leaflets.</p>.<p>North Korea blew up the liaison office days after she warned it would soon be seen "completely collapsed", and later she called Moon "disgusting" and apparently "insane".</p>.<p>Despite her "serious political and foreign policy experience", Matsegora said Kim Yo Jong was "rather young".</p>.<p>"There is absolutely no reason to say that she is being trained" to take the helm, Matsegora said.</p>.<p>"No one dares to call themselves number two in the country," he added.</p>.<p>"I think that if you asked comrade Kim Yo Jong whether she was number two, she would answer with a strong 'no'."</p>
<p>North Korea's fury over anti-Pyongyang leaflets launched from the South is driven by "dirty, insulting" depictions of leader Kim Jong-un's spouse, Russia's top envoy in the reclusive country has said.</p>.<p>In recent weeks Pyongyang has issued a series of vitriolic condemnations over anti-North leaflets which defectors based in the South send across the militarised border -- usually attached to balloons or floated in bottles.</p>.<p>The campaigns have long been a point of contention between the two Koreas, but this time, Pyongyang upped the pressure, blowing up a liaison office and threatening military measures.</p>.<p>One of the most recent launches -- carried out on May 31 -- had included provocative imagery of the North's First Lady Ri Sol Ju, sparking "serious outrage" in Pyongyang, according to Russian ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora.</p>.<p>Russia is a key ally of the isolated North and Matsegora is one of the longest serving ambassadors in Pyongyang.</p>.<p>"The leaflets bore a special kind of dirty, insulting propaganda, aimed at the leader's spouse," Matsegora told Russia's TASS news agency on Monday.</p>.<p>They were photoshopped "in such a low-grade way", he added, and served as "the last straw" for the North.</p>.<p>Inter-Korean relations have been in deep freeze following the collapse of a summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump early last year over what the nuclear-armed North would be willing to give up in exchange for a loosening of sanctions.</p>.<p>Pyongyang turned its anger against Seoul rather than Washington, despite three summits between the North's leader and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who brokered the first Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore.</p>.<p>The impoverished country is subject to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its banned weapons programmes.</p>.<p>The Russian diplomat also dismissed speculation that Kim's younger sister was being trained as the next leader of North Korea.</p>.<p>Since early June, Kim Yo Jong -- a key adviser to her brother -- has been the face of Pyongyang's highly aggressive stance towards the South over the leaflets.</p>.<p>North Korea blew up the liaison office days after she warned it would soon be seen "completely collapsed", and later she called Moon "disgusting" and apparently "insane".</p>.<p>Despite her "serious political and foreign policy experience", Matsegora said Kim Yo Jong was "rather young".</p>.<p>"There is absolutely no reason to say that she is being trained" to take the helm, Matsegora said.</p>.<p>"No one dares to call themselves number two in the country," he added.</p>.<p>"I think that if you asked comrade Kim Yo Jong whether she was number two, she would answer with a strong 'no'."</p>