South Korea threatens “forceful” response if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons

South Korean authorities have threatened Tuesday to respond “forcefully” to any attempt by North Korea to make use of nuclear weapons, after North Korean authorities issued a law on pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

“If North Korea tries to use nuclear weapons it will be met with a forceful response from the South Korea-U.S. alliance, so it will enter the path of self-destruction,” a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman has said.

In this regard, he explained that Seoul’s objective is to strengthen deterrence measures against nuclear threats from Pyongyang, always in coordination with the U.S. government. He also announced the creation of a strategic command to deal with the new North Korean preemptive strike system.

The approval of the new North Korean regulations comes after the country conducted a series of ballistic tests. Now, the legislation allows the use of nuclear weapons not only as a form of defense but also preemptively against possible attacks against the Asian country.

The South Korean government insists that its goal is to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, although negotiations with the United States have not borne fruit and stalled after the failed summit in February 2019.