S. Korean defense minister vows preemptive attack against DPRK in case of nuclear provocation

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea will initiate a preemptive attack against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should any clear indication of nuclear provocation by the DPRK be detected, the South Korean Defense Minister said Wednesday, local media reported.

"There would be too much damage to South Korea if the DPRK launches a nuclear attack. So when there is an indication of nuclear provocation and if the DPRK is thought to have a clear will to attack us, (South Korea) should preemptively hit (the DPRK) ," the defense minister Kim Tae-young said in a forum, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

There have been some debates over justification of preemptive attacks, but some argue such attacks can be legitimized in case of nuclear threats, he said.

"If it's not like we can hit back after being attacked, we have no choice but to hit first," Kim was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

The DPRK seems to be sending double-edged signals to the world by pursuing dialogue on one hand and issuing threats on the other, while South Korea and the United States are keeping close tabs on the DPRK's nuclear, missile and other possible military threats, Kim told the forum.

His remark came after Pyongyang last week issued a threat against Seoul over its reported contingency plan which assumes a sudden instability in the DPRK, in what seemed to be an abrupt about-face of Pyongyang amid budding prospects for further inter- Korean dialogues.

The minister expressed the same view on a preemptive attack in 2008 in a parliamentary hearing before he was sworn in as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which enraged the DPRK.