SEOUL, April 1 – South Korean President Park Geun-hye(pic) on Monday instructed the military to strongly respond to possible provocations by North Korea without any political considerations, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
“If any provocation is made against our people and the country, (the military) should strongly respond (to the provocation) in an early stage without any other political considerations,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted
Park as saying at the annual policy plan briefing by the defense ministry.
Park said she “sees the recent North Korea’s threat very seriously,” mentioning the nullification of non-aggression pact, the cut-off of the military communications line and the repeated war threats. On Saturday, Pyongyang warned that if South Korea continues to insult its northern neighbour’s dignity, it will shut down their joint industrial park located in the North Korea’s border city of Kaesong.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry in charge of dialogue and communication with North Korea on Monday said that the industrial zone is operating normally. The announcement came just hours after North Korea said it had entered “a state of war” against South Korea, which once again escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test on Feb 12.
President Park stressed that she will trust the judgment of the military that is directly facing the possibly abrupt raid by North Korea, instructing the military to secure safety of workers at the joint industrial park.
BERNAMA
