North Korean internal and external-focused media on Wednesday warned the U.S. of “catastrophic” consequences should it go ahead with rumored plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles on or around the peninsula.

In an analysis carried on its sixth page, the DPRK party daily condemned plans to “deploy new surface-to-surface intermediate-range missiles in South Korea” and recent comments made by U.S. defense chief Mark Esper during what it described as a “junket” to Australia.

Wednesday’s reporting appears to be Pyongyang’s first direct response to be carried by domestically-focused media to the Secretary of Defense’s remarks last week, in which he told reporters he “would like