Seoul vows to ‘punish’ North Korea — RT World News
South Korea said it would spend more than $440 million to bolster its defenses against drone attacks
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has asked security officials to “to punish” North Korea for any future “provocation” saying they need not fear Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal following a major security breach earlier this week.
Speaking to members of his cabinet and the National Security Bureau on Wednesday, Yoon called for tougher retaliation against North Korean military action, citing an incident on Monday in which five unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) hovered over South Korea for several hours.
“President Yoon told them to unequivocally punish and retaliate in response to any provocation by North Korea, saying it is the most powerful way to deter provocation,” press secretary Kim Eun-hye told reporters, adding that Yoon “stressed that we should not be afraid or hesitant just because North Korea has nuclear weapons.”
While South Korea responded to the incident on Monday with its own drone flight over the North, the military was unable to shoot down any of the drones that crossed the border, a senior official from the defense acknowledging that he showed a “Insufficiency in the posture of military readiness. Yoon also said that the preparation is “miss a lot” and would have “reprimand” Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup for the failure to neutralize the intruder aircraft.
Yoon also pledged to boost Seoul’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to halt any future airspace violations, and on Wednesday officials unveiled plans to spend $441 million to improve the Seoul’s defenses. country. The money will be spent over the next five years, including on plans to develop a new signal jammer and an airborne laser weapon to fend off drone incursions. The president is due to visit the Defense Development Agency on Thursday to review preparations for improvement.
Military activity on the Korean Peninsula has seen a major spike in 2022, with Pyongyang conducting a record number of weapons tests this year, including multiple launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The South has also conducted a series of live-fire exercises alongside the United States in recent months, which the DPRK has repeatedly condemned as a repeat of an invasion. Nonetheless, Seoul has pledged to respond more aggressively to North Korean actions, with Defense Minister Lee telling lawmakers on Wednesday he had been ordered to retaliate. “even if it means risking escalation.”
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