Yoon orders firm military readiness posture amid heightened tensions with NK

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a luncheon meeting with the civic members of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council at the presidential office in Seoul, Nov. 27. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday ordered a firm military readiness posture amid heightened tensions with North Korea, officials said.

Yoon issued the instruction after Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo briefed him on the security situation, presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said.

"While thoroughly monitoring North Korea's moves, we should maintain a firm military readiness posture so that our citizens can feel secure," Yoon was quoted as saying.

Tensions have risen on the Korean Peninsula since the North successfully launched a military spy satellite last week. In response, South Korea suspended part of the 2018 military tension reduction agreement and the North effectively scrapped the deal altogether. (Yonhap)