South Korea's blunt warning to North Korea. 'Peace or severe destruction' amid rising military tensions

The warning was pronounced during a meeting of high-ranking military commanders. Shin stated, "North Korea has only two options: peace or destruction. If North Korea takes actions that injure peace, it will only meet with severe destruction." He underscored the point by directing the South Korean military to convey this clearly to North Korea.

Last month, North Korea announced it would reinstate all "military measures" that had been suspended under the 2018 agreement. The deployment was intended to reduce tensions and prevent border clashes.

Seoul retaliated in response to North Korea's launch of its first spy satellite on November 21, by partially suspending the same agreement. Among other provisions, the agreement prohibited military surveillance of border areas.

On November 26, North Korea correspondingly positioned troops near the South Korean border. The North Korean Defense Ministry disclosed the deployment of "stronger armed forces and new types of military equipment," raising concerns about the possibility of North Korea employing nuclear weapons.

South Korea and the US are slated to discuss nuclear deterrence this Friday. The talks form part of Washington's commitment to affording Seoul a greater understanding of its contingency plans should a conflict with Pyongyang arise.

Both Koreas remain formally at war since the conflict of 1950-53 concluded with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty.