SEOUL: The South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned North Korea on Monday that her country would strike back if Pyongyang staged any attack on its territory.
Park’s warning came as North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament was set to hold its annual session and a day after ruling party leaders vowed to enshrine Pyongyang’s right to nuclear weapons in law. It also came as the US announced it had deployed stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing joint military exercise.
“If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations,” the President said at a meeting with senior defense and security officials, according to her office.
“The reason for the military’s existence is to protect the country and the people from threats,” she said.
On Saturday, North Korea declared that it had entered a “state of war” with South Korea, stating that from now on any issues between the two countries would be handled according to wartime protocol.
“As of now, inter-Korea relations enter a state of war and all matters between the two Koreas will be handled according to wartime protocol,” the North said in a government statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday.
The North and South are still technically at war after the 1950-53 civil war ended in a truce rather than a treaty.
“As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, I will trust the military’s judgement on abrupt and surprise provocations by North Korea as it is the one that directly faces off against the North,” Park said.
“Please carry out your duty of guarding the safety of the people without being distracted at all,” she added.
DND
