South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned North Korea on Tuesday that any attempt to use nuclear weapons would face a strong and overwhelming response from South Korea and its US allies.
At an Armed Forces Day ceremony at a military base south of Seoul, Yoon said that if North Korea tries to use nuclear weapons, it will face the “resolute and overwhelming response” from its military and the South Korean-American alliance.
“That day will mark the end of the North Korean regime,” he added.
Yoon also denounced North Korea’s “illegal arms trade” with Russia, which he said threatened world peace.
In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled a uranium enrichment facility and expressed his desire to “exponentially” expand the country’s nuclear arsenal.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), North Korea currently possesses about 50 nuclear warheads, although the exact number is unknown.
Widely isolated North Korea is subject to international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. The last known nuclear test took place in 2017.