South Korea’s defense ministry has warned North Korea that any attempt to use nuclear weapons would lead to the “end” of its regime.

The ministry issued the warning on Sunday after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to increase the production of nuclear warheads exponentially during a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Saturday.

Kim also said that the country’s super-large multiple rocket launcher put all of South Korea within striking distance and is capable of carrying a tactical nuclear warhead.

The South Korean defense ministry criticized these remarks as a provocative move that severely undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It urged the North to immediately stop its nuclear development and return to the path of denuclearization, calling on Pyongyang to clearly recognize that such a redirection is the only way to improve its people’s livelihoods.

The ministry also stressed that it would deter and respond to the North’s nuclear and missile threats by dramatically reinforcing its “three-axis” defense system.

Source: KBS World Radio