By Jun Ji-hye
The South Korean military issued a strong warning Wednesday to North Korea after the latter threatened to strike Cheong Wa Dae the previous day.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the military will sternly punish the Kim Jong-un regime and make it regret any provocations.
“We strongly urge North Korea to stop its provocative actions that are driving itself toward destruction,” the JCS said in a statement. “If the North ignores our warning and goes through with its provocations, we will make it bitterly regret it through a stern retaliation as we are planned and prepared.”
The JCS added that Pyongyang will have to take full responsibility for any consequences caused by its reckless provocations.
“The North’s provocations will expedite the collapse of its dictatorial system,” it said.
The intense criticism mentioning the “collapse” and “destruction” of the Kim regime comes a day after the Supreme Command of the (North) Korean People’s Army issued a “crucial statement,” criticizing South Korea and the U.S. for their joint annual war game, Key Resolve, and the field training drill Foal Eagle, scheduled to begin March 7 and run until April 30.
During the drills, the allies are planning to apply their new joint wartime operational plan, dubbed Operation Plan (OPLAN) 5015, which reportedly includes a contingency for a “beheading operation” and preemptive strikes against the North’s leadership and its key facilities.
The North, stating that its primary target is “Cheong Wa Dae and reactionary ruling machines,” argued that its armed forces “will go into a preemptive and just operation to beat back the enemy forces to the last man if there is a slight sign of their special operation forces and equipment moving to carry out the so-called ‘beheading operation’ and ‘high-density strike.’”
It added that U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. mainland are its secondary striking targets.
The JCS said the North’s provocative rhetoric is unacceptable at a time when the international community is strongly condemning Pyongyang for its fourth nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, and is discussing tougher sanctions to deter such provocations.
Cheong Wa Dae also criticized the isolated state, saying the North’s threat is unacceptable, and it “should be fully held responsible for all consequences to be incurred by” its threats.
The Ministry of Unification joined the criticism, urging the totalitarian regime to stop any provocative actions.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye