South Korea's defense chief ordered the country's military on Friday to maintain combat preparedness against another expected provocation from North Korea amid high tensions following the North's island attack last month.
"The level of provocations from North Korea's regime and military is ever increasing and becoming bold," Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said in his first directive for the new year. "In the future, North Korea could try to provoke in a new and unpredictable manner."
"We must ensure our top-notch combat preparedness to swiftly and strongly retaliate in the event of a provocation from the enemy," Kim said.
A set of military aggression by North Korea this year, including the Nov. 23 bombardment on Yeonpyeong Island and the March torpedoing of a warship, have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula to a boiling point.
The attack on Yeonpyeong killed two marines and two civilians, marking the first assault on a civilian area on the South's territory since the 1950-53 Korean War. Forty-six sailors were killed in the March torpedo attack.
"If the enemy provokes again, we shall use all possible combat capabilities to win until the enemy surrenders," Kim said.
In a separate New Year's message, Gen. Han Min-koo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), also repeated his vow of tougher retaliation should the North attack again.
"If there is a provocation from the enemy, we must completely remove the source of the provocation so that the enemy will not dare provoke again," Han said in the message.
Military officials here believe that North Korea's emboldened aggression this year was partly linked to the North's tactic to rally support among its military generals at a time when leader Kim Jong-il is apparently attempting to ensure a smooth power transfer to his youngest son and heir apparent, Jong-un.
"There is a high possibility that North Korea will make another provocation to solidify its internal unity in the process of building a power transition structure for Kim Jong-un," Han said.
Over the weekend, Kim and Han are scheduled to conduct inspections of military installations near the border with North Korea to check combat readiness and encourage troops there, officials said.