South Korea: North Korean leader's video meeting 'very unusual'

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Wednesday it is "very unusual" to see North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a video conference meeting the day before.

In a regular ministry briefing, the ministry spokesperson Yoh Sang-key said the ministry believes North Korea's ruling party meeting from Tuesday was the first video conference meeting presided over by Kim.

North Korean state media reported earlier Wednesday that Kim held a preliminary meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party on Tuesday.

In the video conference meeting, Kim decided to postpone his military's plans for unspecified retaliatory action against the South, the state media said.

If Kim does eventually opt for military action, he may resume artillery drills and other exercises in frontline areas or have vessels deliberately cross the disputed western maritime border between the Koreas, which has been the scene of bloody skirmishes in past years.

However, any action is likely to be measured to prevent full-scale retaliation from South Korean and U.S. militaries.

Yoh also said there had been no report in the past about the preliminary meeting of the Central Military Commission, so the South Korean government also finds this meeting unusual and is closely monitoring it.

The ministry also said it is analyzing the intention and background behind North Korean media's removal of articles criticizing South Korea.