South's defense chief warns North that 'hell of destruction' awaits 'reckless' actions

"North Korea has only two choices: peace or destruction," South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said during a meeting of top military commanders. "If North Korea makes a reckless move that undermines peace, the hell of destruction awaits them."

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, center back, salutes the flag at a meeting of top military commanders at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Wednesday. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik warned Wednesday that the "hell of destruction" awaits North Korea if it carries out any "reckless" actions.

"North Korea has only two choices: peace or destruction," Shin said during a meeting of top military commanders. "If North Korea makes a reckless move that undermines peace, the hell of destruction awaits them."

He said the "first step in a real peace process on the Korean Peninsula is to clearly imprint this on North Korea."

The remarks to military brass come amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang scrapped a landmark 2018 inter-Korean military agreement last month.

On Nov. 21, Pyongyang launched a military spy satellite after two failed attempts earlier in the year, a move immediately criticized by Seoul.

In an immediate response, Seoul partially suspended the military deal struck at an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018, during the preceding Moon Jae-in government. The agreement was meant to reduce border tensions around the military demarcation line (MDL).

In turn, Pyongyang announced it would effectively suspend the 2018 military deal. In recent days, South Korean defense officials have reported that the North is reinstalling guard posts and redeploying heavy arms within the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

Shin, a hard-liner on Pyongyang policy, slammed the preceding Moon government's Korean Peninsula peace initiative as "reliant on North Korea's goodwill and surreal optimism" and "completely fake," calling it a "well-planned fraud."

The liberal Moon administration pushed for a peace process that encouraged inter-Korean dialogue and joint projects in tandem with denuclearization negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and early 2019, leading to a period of détente on the peninsula.

"The solid mental strength of our soldiers must be a prerequisite for our military to fulfill its role as a peacekeeper," Shin said, pointing to the importance mental strength plays in Ukraine's resistance to invasion and Israel's punishing of militant group Hamas.

Shin presented the country's national defense operation goals to build an "elite, advanced military," calling to establish troops' view of the nation and its enemy and soldier's spirit, set a defense posture that overwhelms the enemy, strengthen the South Korea-U. S. alliance and develop a combined defense posture, promote the "Defense Innovation 4.0" initiative and create an advanced defense culture.

The Defense Innovation 4.0 initiative aims to acquire advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to strengthen overall defense capabilities amid potential personnel shortages in the future.

Shin stressed that the military is accelerating this initiative and planning to launch a defense AI center next year to introduce cutting-edge AI technology through collaboration between the public, private and military sectors.

The Defense Ministry earmarked 7.2 trillion won ($5.45 billion) for next year's budget, a 16.8 percent increase from this year, for South Korea's three-axis system, covering detecting signs of North Korea's missile launches to defense and retaliation. The three pillars are the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, meant to hinder the North Korean leadership, the Kill Chain pre-emptive capabilities and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system.

Shin also said the real-time sharing system of North Korea's missile warning data between South Korea, the United States and Japan is expected to begin regular operation later this month.

Wednesday's meeting was attended by key officials from the Defense Ministry and top military brass from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

This comes amid signals that North Korea is growing closer with Russia following Kim's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, prompting speculation of an arms deal between the two countries.

North Korea's launch of a military reconnaissance satellite, banned under UN resolutions for use of ballistic missile technology, is seen by analysts to have been made possible with Russian aid.

Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday that North Korean and Russian officials from Primorsky Krai in Russia's Far East discussed "elevating economic cooperation to a higher level," in the latest indication of chummier ties.

North Korea's External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho and Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorsky region, discussed issues of bolstering regional economic cooperation further to a high level in Pyongyang on Tuesday, reported the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Monday.

Kozhemyako told a Russian news media outlet ahead of the trip that he would discuss ways to boost cooperation in tourism, trade and agriculture.

This comes as North Korea, seeking ways to evade UN sanctions, is reportedly trying to send workers to Russia to earn much-needed hard currency.

The South's top spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said Tuesday it has detected signs of North Korea seeking to send workers to Russia.

On Wednesday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a commentary through KCNA describing that "Russia-U. S. relations are getting worse" due to Washington's "racket" against Moscow.

The English-language report said Russia's Vice Foreign Minister Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov "condemned the U.S. for having started a hybrid war against Russia and more openly revealing its intention to topple the government and cause internal disorder in his country."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]