|
| English.news.cn 2013-04-01 12:07:20 |
   
 
|
SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday instructed the military to strongly respond to possible provocation by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without any political considerations.
"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," Yonhap News Agency quoted Park as saying at the annual policy briefing by the Defense Ministry.
Park said she "sees the recent DPRK'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 neighbor's dignity, it will shut down their joint industrial park located in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong. The announcement came just hours after the DPRK said it had entered "a state of war" against South Korea, which once again escalated tensions on the Koran Peninsula after Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12.
The South Korea's Unification Ministry in charge of dialogue and communication with the DPRK said Monday that the industrial zone is normally operating.
President Park stressed that she will trust the judgment of the military that is directly facing the possibly surprise attack by the DPRK, instructing the military to secure safety of workers at the joint industrial park.
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said in his policy briefing to President Park that the military "will build up an active deterrence mechanism that will neutralize North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile threats in an early stage, while enhancing our military's capability of surveillance and reconnaissance in an epoch-making way."
To achieve the goal of the "active deterrence," South Korea planned to deploy the so-called "kill chain" system and the Korean version of missile defense system at an earlier date than previously scheduled.
The kill chain framework, also dubbed an attacking style of defense system, is a process that detects nuclear and missile attacks by the DPRK on a real-time basis, before targeting and neutralizing the attacks.
Detecting the attacks will require high-tech satellites and airplanes for surveillance and reconnaissance, while missiles and fighter jets will be used for targeting and destroying the attacks.
The Defense Ministry originally planned to deploy the kill chain system by 2015, but it will bring forward the deployment of the attacking style of the system as early as possible, according to military officials cited by Yonhap.
To enhance its reconnaissance capacity, the military will speed up the deployment of U.S.-made Global Hawk unmanned spy drones, while securing at least two military spy satellites by 2021.
The Defense Ministry will also speed up the establishment of the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) program, or the Korean version of missile defense system, to detect and intercept missiles and combat aircraft from the DPRK with missiles.
Related:
Photos >> DPRK's top leader ratifies plan for strategic rocket strike
Video >> DPRK says to enter "state of war" against south
DPRK unveils twin goals of economic construction, nuclear capability
PYONGYANG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) top leader Kim Jong Un said Sunday the country had adopted a new strategy of carrying out economic construction and building nuclear armed forces simultaneously.
The DPRK would develop a "self-reliant nuclear power industry" and "light water reactor" to ease the strain on the country's electricity supply, the official KCNA news agency quoted Kim as saying at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Full story
Cooler minds must prevail on Korean Peninsula
BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Saturday that it has entered a "state of war" with South Korea, marking the latest flare-up of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang's move came after the United States sent B-52 strategic heavy bombers and B-2 stealth bombers to South Korea to participate in war games. Full story
DPRK threatens to shut down industrial park with South Korea
PYONGYANG, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) threatened on Saturday to shut down a joint industrial park with South Korea if the latter continued to insult the DPRK's dignity, the official KCNA news agency reported. Full story
U.S. says DPRK's threat deepens isolation
WASHINGTON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Friday that the threat by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to launch rocket attack on the United States only deepened its isolation. Full story
end quote from:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/01/c_132276404.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment