President Park warns of North Korean 'self-destruction'
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has called for watertight military readiness to ensure North Korea's “self-destruction” if it engaged in what she described as provocative acts.
“I call on you to maintain a robust posture to retaliate... to make sure that any attempt by the North at engaging in any form of provocations will lead to the self-destruction of the North Korean regime,” Park told government authorities on Monday.
She made the remarks during a top-level meeting over inter-Korean tensions which have been flaring since January.
South Korea's decision to deploy a US missile system on its territory as well as its massive military drills with the United States have enraged Pyongyang.
North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb in January, its fourth nuclear test, and vowed to build up its nuclear program as deterrence against potential aggression from the US and its regional allies.
On Wednesday, North Korea test fired a submarine-based ballistic missile from its eastern coast days after the US and South Korea began their annual military exercises.
North Korea says it will not give up on its nuclear “deterrence” unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward Pyongyang and dissolves the US-led command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.
The UN has adopted five rounds of crippling sanctions on the North since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 despite the nation's critical situation, including its worsening famine.
During her Monday's meeting, Park underlined the significance of the “solid” US-South Korean alliance.
“When our lives are directly threatened, the work of protecting the security is the crucial task that determines the fate of our nation and lives of our citizens,” she said.
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