South Korean president warns Pyongyang of “severe retaliation” in case of provocation

July 6. (EUROPA PRESS) –

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Pyongyang on Wednesday of “severe retaliation” in the event of a provocation, detailing that, in such a case, the South Korean Army “must punish them quickly and decisively.”

“If North Korea provokes, our Army must punish them quickly and decisively,” said the South Korean president in statements collected by the Yonhap agency.

After holding a meeting in the city of Gyeryong, in the center of the country, with all the military commanders of the South Korean Armed Forces, Yoon detailed that the mission of the country’s Army is to protect lives, property, territory and the sovereignty of the people “at all costs”.

In this sense, Yoon has underlined the need for “a strong national defense” that ensures the protection of security and national interest, for which he has announced “a leap forward” in scientific and technological research through the program ‘Defense Innovation 4.0’.

“We need to devise fundamental countermeasures against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats … Our military must independently build a South Korean-style three-axis system so that it has the capability and posture to overcome the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” the South Korean president specified.

To carry out this improvement of the Armed Forces, Yoon has announced an expansion of the defense budget. “I will actively support the establishment of the national defense posture and defense innovation,” she added.