Seoul

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday that South Korea will not sit idle against North Korea’s despicable provocations and vowed to protect people through robust military readiness and a strong alliance with the US. Yoon made the remark during a Memorial Day speech at Seoul National Cemetery amid high tensions after South Korea fully suspended a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction pact in response to North Korea’s sending of balloons filled with trash across the border last week, source reported.

North Korea after firing artillery shells into the West Sea and launching missiles recently carried out a despicable provocation that would make any normal country ashamed of itself, he said.

The government will never overlook the threat from North Korea.

To deter the North Korean threats, Yoon vowed to bolster the alliance with the US and enhance cooperation with the international community.

We will maintain an iron-clad readiness posture and respond to provocations resolutely and overwhelmingly, he said.

Building upon the more robust South Korea-US alliance and cooperation with the international community, we will firmly safeguard our people’s freedom and safety.Yoon criticised the North Korean regime for refusing to accept the progress of history and instead remaining on a backward path, threatening our lives.