Park takes North Korea threats 'very seriously'
Source: AFP |
April 2, 2013, Tuesday
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SOUTH Korea's new president yesterday promised a strong military response to any North Korean provocation after Pyongyang announced that the two countries were now in a state of war.
President Park Geun-hye's warning came as the US announced it had deployed stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing joint military exercise.
In a meeting with senior military officials and Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, Park said she took the near-daily stream of bellicose threats emanating from the North over the past month "very seriously."
"I believe that we should make a strong and immediate retaliation without any other political considerations if (North Korea) stages any provocation against our people," she said.
Park, a conservative who had advocated cautious engagement with North Korea during her election campaign, has been compelled to take a more hardline posture after assuming office in February.
The defense minister made it clear that South Korea would carry out pre-emptive strikes against North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities in the event of hostilities breaking out.
"We will ... establish a so-called 'active deterrence' aimed at neutralizing North Korea's nuclear and missile threats quickly," Kim said.
The US military said yesterday it had deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as part of the ongoing "Foal Eagle" military exercise.
President Park Geun-hye's warning came as the US announced it had deployed stealth fighters to South Korea as part of an ongoing joint military exercise.
In a meeting with senior military officials and Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, Park said she took the near-daily stream of bellicose threats emanating from the North over the past month "very seriously."
"I believe that we should make a strong and immediate retaliation without any other political considerations if (North Korea) stages any provocation against our people," she said.
Park, a conservative who had advocated cautious engagement with North Korea during her election campaign, has been compelled to take a more hardline posture after assuming office in February.
The defense minister made it clear that South Korea would carry out pre-emptive strikes against North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities in the event of hostilities breaking out.
"We will ... establish a so-called 'active deterrence' aimed at neutralizing North Korea's nuclear and missile threats quickly," Kim said.
The US military said yesterday it had deployed F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to South Korea as part of the ongoing "Foal Eagle" military exercise.
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