S.Korea to retaliate against Pyongyang if attacked again even if it risks war

Seoul, Dec 28 (ANI): South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has reportedly threatened to retaliate against North Korea if it attacked his country again.

The New York Times quoted Lee as saying that his nation would not shy away from defending itself against the North, even if it meant the possibility of war.

"We have now been awakened to the realization that war can be prevented and peace assured only when such provocations are met with a strong response," he added.

Meanwhile, talking about tensions in the Korean Peninsula and North Korea's role in it, apanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said that his nation stood with South Korea and the United States to tackle the issue.

Maehara noted that South Korea had for the first time sent military observers to joint United States-Japan military drills held near Japan earlier this month, adding that his nation's military ties with South Korea would slowly increase in the near future.

"South Korean observers participated in the joint United States-Japan exercises, and, in that sense, I think these sorts of connections and bonds will slowly appear," he added.

Tensions have remained high on the Korean Peninsula since a North Korean artillery barrage of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island last month, which killed four people, including two civilians.

Later the South had held a series of military drills apparently intended to show the North that it was ready to strike back forcefully if provoked again. (ANI)