S. Korean military warns of stern retaliation against DPRK "provocation"

South Korea's military on Wednesday warned of stern retaliation against "possible provocations" from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which issued a warning the previous day of striking South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) issued a statement in response to the DPRK's Tuesday warning, saying the military will make the DPRK bitterly regretting with stern retaliations as planned and prepared if Pyongyang conducts provocations in defiance of Seoul's recommendations.

The JCS strongly urged Pyongyang to immediately stop provocative acts leading the DPRK to destroy itself, saying the DPRK will have to take all the responsibility for all consequences coming from its reckless provocations.

It also warned that those provocations will only speed up the "collapse" of its regime.

The statement came after the Korean People's Army (KPA)'s supreme command issued a warning Tuesday that if any "small movements" are found among U.S.-South Koran forces, the first target of attacks would be Cheong Wa Dae, the Blue House, and South Korean authorities.

If South Korean armed forces continue to make military provocations despite warnings from the DPRK, the KPA would enter the second phase of attacks, which would target the U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific and even the U.S. territory, the warning said.

Pyongyang accused the United States and South Korea of attempting to bring about a "collapse of the DPRK socialist system," saying the "beheading operation" targets the "supreme headquarter of the DPRK" with preemptive strikes against its nuclear and strategic weapons. Enditem