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| ▲ President Yoon Sul Yeol (L, front row) and first lady Kim Keon Hee (2nd from L, front row) salute the national flag during a ceremony marking the 76th Armed Forces Day held at Seoul Air Base, south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missiles, capable of carrying an 8-9 ton warhead and destroying underground bunkers, are featured during a ceremony marking the 76th Armed Forces Day held at Seoul Air Base, south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
Yoon-Armed Forces Day
Yoon warns N. Korea will face end of regime if it attempts to use nuclear weapons
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- 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 speech marking the 76th Armed Forces Day, weeks after North Korea unveiled its uranium enrichment facility that produces material for its nuclear weapons.
"Our military will immediately respond to North Korea's provocations based on strong combat capabilities and a robust readiness posture," Yoon said during a commemorative ceremony at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the capital.
"If North Korea attempts to use its nuclear weapons, it will face a resolute and overwhelming response by our military and the South Korea-U.S. alliance," he added.
Yoon urged the Pyongyang regime to get rid of "delusions" that nuclear weapons guarantee its security, vowing to strengthen the security posture based on the strong alliance with the U.S., as well as trilateral security cooperation involving Japan.
Some 5,000 troops and 340 pieces of military equipment, including Hyunmoo surface-to-surface missiles, K9 self-propelled howitzers and quadruped robots, were mobilized for the ceremony.
Notable among them is the 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.
This year's event highlighted the newly established Strategic Command, which is tasked with countering North Korea's nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
North Korea has ratcheted up tensions in recent weeks ahead of the upcoming U.S. election, disclosing its uranium enrichment facility, launching ballistic missiles and sending trash-carrying balloons across the border.
A military parade will take place in downtown Seoul later in the day, marking the second consecutive year troops have marched through the capital's center.
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