South Korea vows 'strong' retaliation to North's aggression

South Korean President Park Geun-hye vowed “strong retaliation” on Monday to any provocation by North Korea after Pyongyang declared it was formally at war with Seoul.

In a meeting with senior military officials and Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin, Park said she took the near-daily stream of bellicose threats emanating from the North “very seriously”.

“I believe that we should make a strong and immediate retaliation without any other political considerations if (the North) stages any provocation against our people,” she said.

Park’s strong words are a departure from the country’s previous stance on threats from the North, when officials have played down the prospect of any attack.

Park, a conservative who had advocated cautious engagement with the North during her election campaign, has taken a more hardline position since assuming office in February, shortly after the North conducted its third nuclear test.