Park orders military to brace for possible N. Korean provocation

March 23, 2016

SEOUL (Yonhap) — President Park Geun-hye ordered the military to strengthen security across South Korea, a government official said Thursday, as North Korea has ratcheted up its threats against its southern neighbor.

Park “instructed the military to be fully ready to aggressively cope with North Korea’s reckless provocations,” Kim Sung-woo, chief presidential press secretary, told reporters.

Park’s comments came as North Korea threatened to turn Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea’s presidential office, into a “sea of flames and ashes.”

North Korea has made the latest threat in apparent anger over tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

The U.N. Security Council has slapped tougher sanctions on North Korea to punish the regime for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7.