S. Korea Capable of Counterattack Against N. Korea: Defense Minister

Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee said Monday the military is capable of retaliating if North Korea makes a provocation by assaulting Seoul with its artillery.

The minister's remarks came after the North warned Saturday that, ``Seoul is just 50 kilometers away" from the border, indicating that its artillery can strike the densely populated capital and its vicinity.

The military is ready to retaliate under the combined readiness with the United States against any North Korean provocation, Lee said during a National Assembly committee session.

Lee did not rule out the possibility of Pyongyang provoking anywhere along the border, particularly the western sea border.

North Korea has about 1.2 million troops, while South Korea, better equipped, has 655,000 soldiers. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in the South as a deterrent against the communist North.