By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye has called on the nation to remain on high alert over North Korea's possible terrorist attacks against South Korea.
"The nation should keep a readiness posture against another North Korean provocation because Kim Jong-un has ordered his officials to concentrate capabilities for terrorist and cyber attacks on the South," Park said during a meeting with her secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.
"The government needs to make extraordinary efforts to ensure the safety of our people."
Park referred to Kim only by his name, without mentioning his title, a move that is quite rare here and can be viewed as disrespectful by the North Korean leader.
Her call for a tight readiness came as the repressive state is highly expected to launch terrorist-style attacks against South Korea in the near future.
Last week, the government said that the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for these under Kim's directives to intensify preparation for them.
In addition, South Korean police recently said that North Korean hackers sent massive amounts of spam emails to South Korean public organizations last month in an apparent bid to launch a cyber attack against the South.
Park instructed her Cabinet members and secretaries to pay attention to residents on border islands to keep North Korean provocations from damaging their safety and livelihoods.
"Under the current grave situation, the government should try to make sure they will make a living without fear of security," she said.
On Saturday, the North conducted a firing drill near Baengnyeong Island, one of five border islands, to rekindle tensions between the two Koreas.
Inter-Korean tensions have been skyrocketing since Pyongyang's Jan. 6 nuclear test and Feb. 7 rocket launch, with the United States responding by deploying strategic assets.
Park said the nation, together with the international community, will take measures to create an environment, where the North cannot survive without change.
"We have already taken some special steps, while closely coordinating with the international community," she said.
Angered by the North's series of provocations, the Park government shuttered the Gaeseong Industrial Complex earlier this month, claiming that South Korea's money paid into the joint factory park had been used for the development of the North's weapons of mass destruction.
At the same time, the President called for efforts to revive the sluggish economy, saying that escalating tensions on the peninsula may weigh upon it.
President Park Geun-hye has called on the nation to remain on high alert over North Korea's possible terrorist attacks against South Korea.
"The nation should keep a readiness posture against another North Korean provocation because Kim Jong-un has ordered his officials to concentrate capabilities for terrorist and cyber attacks on the South," Park said during a meeting with her secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.
"The government needs to make extraordinary efforts to ensure the safety of our people."
Park referred to Kim only by his name, without mentioning his title, a move that is quite rare here and can be viewed as disrespectful by the North Korean leader.
Her call for a tight readiness came as the repressive state is highly expected to launch terrorist-style attacks against South Korea in the near future.
Last week, the government said that the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for these under Kim's directives to intensify preparation for them.
In addition, South Korean police recently said that North Korean hackers sent massive amounts of spam emails to South Korean public organizations last month in an apparent bid to launch a cyber attack against the South.
Park instructed her Cabinet members and secretaries to pay attention to residents on border islands to keep North Korean provocations from damaging their safety and livelihoods.
"Under the current grave situation, the government should try to make sure they will make a living without fear of security," she said.
On Saturday, the North conducted a firing drill near Baengnyeong Island, one of five border islands, to rekindle tensions between the two Koreas.
Inter-Korean tensions have been skyrocketing since Pyongyang's Jan. 6 nuclear test and Feb. 7 rocket launch, with the United States responding by deploying strategic assets.
Park said the nation, together with the international community, will take measures to create an environment, where the North cannot survive without change.
"We have already taken some special steps, while closely coordinating with the international community," she said.
Angered by the North's series of provocations, the Park government shuttered the Gaeseong Industrial Complex earlier this month, claiming that South Korea's money paid into the joint factory park had been used for the development of the North's weapons of mass destruction.
At the same time, the President called for efforts to revive the sluggish economy, saying that escalating tensions on the peninsula may weigh upon it.
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