North Korea denies Hitler book given to officials

Pyongyang is batting back a report that Kim Jong Un handed out copies of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" to North Korean officials in January.

Calling the report a "smear campaign" written by "human scum... moving desperately to deter" North Korea, the Ministry of People's Security, which is responsible for policing, said the defectors were being used by the U.S. and South Korea.

The ministry said it was determined to "physically remove the despicable human scum who are committing this treason."

The report originated from an unnamed North Korean official living in China.

"Mentioning that Hitler managed to rebuilt Germany in a short time following its defeat in WWI, Kim Jong Un issued an order for the Third Reich to be studied in depth and asked that practical applications be drawn from it," the source said.