Yet Bahrain's government routinely dismisses it as a group of traitors in thrall to Iran.
In a statement reminiscent of communist Cold War rhetoric, the state mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency, as recently as Thursday slammed the South Korean government as a "group of traitors" who would "pave the way for the U.S. and Japan, its masters, to invade".
Last week, 140 members signed a petition that called a group of reformers traitors for attending an academic conference about Iran in Berlin.
The North's rejection of the findings as a fabrication "orchestrated by the group of traitors" was predictable.
Referring to the South Koreans, North Korea said: "If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the U.N. 'sanctions,' the D.P.R.K. will take strong physical countermeasures against it," using the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the UN 'sanctions', the DPRK (North Korea) will take strong physical counter-measures against it," it said, referring to the South Korean leadership.
On Tuesday, North Korea's western military command "made a decisive resolution to counter the reckless naval firing projected by the group of traitors with strong physical retaliation," said a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
"Hit hard by this action are entrepreneurs and people of south Korea and it is the Park Geun-hye group of traitors who should pay a dear price for it".
In announcing the end of the "hotline" in the truce village of Panmunjom, where the Korean War armistice was signed, the KNCA said there was "nothing to talk to the puppet group of traitors about".
"If one single shot drops in our sacred waters and territory again, the sea of fire on Yeonpyeong-do will spread to a sea of fire on the Blue House, and that deluge of fire will sweep away the stronghold of the group of traitors," the Supreme Command of the North's People's Army said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The special actions of our revolutionary armed forces will start soon to meet the reckless challenge of the group of traitors," the North Korean military command's "special operation action group" said in a statement carried by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
