TOKYO, Sept 26 (KUNA) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Pyongyang on Tuesday that the South Korea-US alliance would end the North Korean regime if it uses nuclear weapons, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Yoon made the remark during a speech marking the 75th Armed Forces Day, which is celebrated on October 1 and commemorates the founding of the country's armed forces.
"The North Korean regime must clearly realize that nuclear weapons will never be able to guarantee its security," he said at a commemorative ceremony held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, noting Pyongyang has been upgrading its nuclear and missile capabilities in defiance of the international community's warnings and "blatantly threatening" to use nuclear weapons.
"This constitutes an existential threat to our people and a grave challenge to world peace," the president continued.
"Based on battle-ready combat capabilities and a solid readiness posture, our military will immediately retaliate against any North Korean provocation. If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response from the South Korea-US alliance." Yoon also said South Korea will further strengthen security cooperation with the US and Japan based on its "ironclad" alliance with Washington, and establish a strong security posture by standing in close solidarity with its partner nations.
Yoon vowed to do all he can as commander-in-chief to build a strong military that instills fear in the enemy and trust in the people, saying, "We have learned from history that only a strong military can guarantee true peace." He referred to the Washington Declaration he adopted with US President Joe Biden during their summit in April and the South Korea-US-Japan cooperation framework established during a trilateral summit at Camp David last month.
Both mechanisms will help strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear program, he noted. (end) mk.gta