North Korea will not feel safe about the results of the US presidential election as Washington is surely to place top priority on its security whoever wins the White House, a government official in Seoul said Tuesday.

The assessment comes as US voters are heading to the polls Tuesday (local time) to elect Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump as their next chief executive.

The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that while North Korea seems to think Republican candidate Trump will be less hostile toward Pyongyang if elected, such an assessment is not correct.

"The US puts significant priority on defending its security.

If North Korea crosses a red line, Washington is not likely to condone it (whoever wins the election)," the ministry official said.

In June, North Korea hailed Trump's claim that South Korea should pay more for the upkeep of American troops on its soil.

Democratic candidate Clinton stresses the need for stronger pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile provocations.

Clinton also firmly supports Washington's numerous alliances with South Korea and other countries as a "source of strength. But Trump has called for Washington's allies to pay more for the protection by US troops, saying that South Korea is a wealthy nation that is not doing its part.

"I don't think North Korea would feel easy under any circumstance in regards to the outcome of the presidential race," the official claimed. (Yonhap)