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South Korean President Yoon Seok Youl warned the North Korean regime that its military will swiftly "punish" any acts of provocation from the North on Wednesday.
Soon's uncommonly brash statement comes as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un continues to conduct ballistic missile tests and is possibly planning a nuclear test.
"First, we should punish North Korea swiftly and adamantly in case of North Korean provocations," President Yoon told military officials in a meeting. "The protection of the people’s safety, property, territory and sovereignty is the military’s fundamental mission."
The nation vowed to take "revenge" on South Korea and the U.S. in a dramatic statement in late June. The statement came as Kim's regime marked the anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
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A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022. North Korea on Sunday fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and neighbors amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
"Upset by the ever-growing national strength of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], they are now getting hell-bent on the anti-DPRK aggression moves as never before, in alliance with the South Korean puppet forces and the Japanese reactionaries," wrote North Korean news organization KCNA, according to a translation from a watchdog.
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"Such insolent behavior of the U.S. fans the anger and revenge of the Korean people," it continued. "The cruelest-ever destruction warfare in the world history of wars, committed by the U.S. imperialists, can never be forgotten no matter how much water flows under the bridge. It is still and further inciting the Korean people's hatred toward the U.S. imperialists."
North Korea appears on the verge of conducting its seventh-ever nuclear test, according to intelligence. The regime has regularly conducted ballistic missile tests in recent years.
Kim's regime fired three ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan in the days prior to President Joe Biden's trip to Asia in May. The regime conducted another flurry of missile tests as Biden concluded his trip.
"North Korea’s sustained provocations can only result in stronger and faster South Korea-U.S. combined deterrence and can only deepen North Korea’s international isolation," the South Korean government said in a statement at the time. "[Our] government is maintaining constant readiness to strongly and effectively respond to any kind of North Korean provocation."
The Korean War reached armistice agreement on July 27, 1953 with Korea divided into the North and South. The two nations remain in a standoff to this day along the 38th Parallel.
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