The President announced Monday (May 24) that South Korea will not hesitate to exercise measures for self defense in the event of any armed provocation from North Korea.

“From now on South Korea will not tolerate any kind of provocation from the North and will act according to the principle of proactive deterrence,” the president said in a public address at the War Memorial in Yongsan, Seoul.

The speech made it clear that it was the North''s attack that was responsible for the unexpected sinking of the South Korean navy’s Cheonan corvette in late March, and defined the act as a flagrant armed provocation.

“North Korea will pay a price for this action," the President said, stressing that he will be firm in handling the North. “From this moment no North Korea ships will be allowed to use our seaways as previously agreed through inter‐Korean marine agreements,” said Lee.

“Inter‐Korean trade and other exchanges will be suspended,” the President continued. “After sinking our ship and claiming the lives of our servicemen, any kind of exchange or cooperation at this point is meaningless.”

Humanitarian assistance for infants will continue, however. The President said he will also look more into the matter of Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North, where some 100 South Korean firms are in operation. 

In regards to international sanctions, the President accused the North of violating not only the UN Charter but also other existing agreements to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, such as the 1953 Armistice Treaty and the South‐North Basic Framework. “South Korea will forward the issue to the UN Security Council after close consultation with the other concerned countries and hold the North responsible,” he said.

“I solemnly call North Korean authorities to enact the following measures,” stressed the President. “North Korea must make an official apology to the Republic of Korea and the international community for the incident and punish those who are responsible for it. This is the basic obligation of the North.”

“We are not aiming for military confrontation. Our goal is peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and ultimately, peaceful reunification,” the President said. “It’s high time for the North to change.”

“It is time the North face the truth and see what is best for its regime and its people and make a courageous decision,” he said. “We can’t let the Korean Peninsula remain a dangerous region in Northeast Asia. The two Koreas must come together to resolve this matter.”

On the other hand, the president also admitted that there were some mistakes on South Korea’s part on responding to the sinking and promised to speed up reform within the military, tighten its discipline and further solidify its military alliance with the United States.