PM says South Korea will not tolerate any NK provocations

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a ceremony in western Seoul, July 27, commemorating the U.N. troops who supported South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. Yonhap

South Korea will not tolerate any provocations from North Korea, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Saturday, as the country marked the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Han made the remark during a ceremony in Seoul commemorating the sacrifices made by U.N. forces that supported South Korea during the three-year conflict, which began with North Korean aggression and ended without a peace treaty.

“Through overwhelming strength and solidarity with friendly countries, (we) will not tolerate any provocations from North Korea,” he said, noting the North continues to undertake provocations, such as flying trash-carrying balloons and launching ballistic missiles.

Han said South Korea plans to strengthen its security posture through trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan, adding it is also making efforts for stability in Northeast Asia through three-way cooperation with Japan and China.

He also said the door for dialogue with the North remains open if Pyongyang stops its nuclear development and military threats.

Tensions between the two Koreas have recently heightened as the North has repeatedly sent balloons carrying trash across the border, prompting the South to blare anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts on the border through its loudspeakers. (Yonhap)