US unmoved by North Korea's Obama in flames video

WASHINGTON: The White House on Wednesday shrugged off North Korea's latest fiery propaganda coup, a video of US soldiers and President Barack Obama burning in the flames of a nuclear blast.

The video was the latest grab for global attention by Pyongyang, and apparently meant to further the argument that US aggression pushed North Korea into its latest nuclear test.

"Provacative propaganda is far less concerning to us and to our allies than provocative actions that violate North Korea's commitments to the United Nations and the international community," said Obama spokesman Jay Carney.

Carney also condemned North Korea's "flagrant violations of its commitments when it comes to its nuclear weapons program," just over a week after Pyongyang's latest defiant nuclear test on February 12.

The North Korean footage was uploaded on YouTube on Monday, two weeks after a separate video that showed New York city in flames after an apparent missile attack.

Both videos were uploaded by the North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, which distributes news and propaganda from the state media.

The latest effort came with a series of Korean-language captions, arguing that North Korea had been forced into conducting its latest nuclear test -- on February 12 -- by US hostility.

"The North's high-level nuclear test aimed at US invaders, is the nuclear deterrent to safeguard our sovereignty," one caption read.

"The US practically guided the North towards conducting the nuclear test," it added.

The video showed images of Obama waving and preparing to deliver his State of the Union address -- all superimposed against a background of rising flames.

It ended with an animated sequence of a nuclear bomb being detonated in an underground bunker and the message: "The whole world is now watching. The US must answer now."