Yoon warns N. Korea of ‘end of regime’ if it uses nuclear weapons

Oct 02, 2024, 10:01 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol salutes the national flag during a ceremony marking the 76th Armed Forces Day held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, 2024. / Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that North Korea will face the end of its regime if it attempts to use nuclear weapons, warning a “resolute and overwhelming” response from the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Yoon made the remark during a ceremony commemorating the 76th Armed Forces Day at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The president urged Pyongyang regime to get rid of “delusion” that nuclear weapons could protect them.

Yoon denounced Pyongyang for threatening South Korea with its nuclear weapons and missiles while ignoring the suffering of its own people. “After committing despicable types of provocations like sending trash balloons and GPS jamming attacks, they have now gone so far as to claim a ‘two hostile states’ theory, even denying the possibility of reunification,” he said.

Referring to the development of the South Korea-U.S. alliance into a nuclear based one, Yoon said, “Our government will further strengthen alliance with the U.S. and our security posture by closely cooperating with the international community.”

The president said the Strategic Command will integrate the South Korean military’s advanced conventional capabilities with the U.S. extended deterrence, and will become a “key unit that steadfastly protects the nation and its people” from North Korea’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats.

Yoon also criticized the previous Moon Jae-in administration’s North Korea policy, saying, “False peace, based on the enemy’s goodwill, is nothing but a mirage.”

Yoon and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun reviewed military units in a motorcade during the ceremony.

In particular, Yoon inspected Hyunmoo-5, a centerpiece of the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) known to be able to carry a warhead weighing 8-9 tons and capable of destroying underground bunkers.

The event included marching units of South Korean troops, the U.N. honor guard and the Eighth U.S. Army. It also featured a car parade of 1950-53 Korean War veterans and servicemen who were injured during duty.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #North Korea