S Korean Leader Urges to Prepare for N Korea’s ‘Reckless Provocations’

South Korean officials were asked to be fully prepared to deter potential threat from its nothern neighbour by South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday, local media reported.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday ordered the country’s officials to prepare to deter potential "reckless provocations" from the North, local media reported.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un instructed the country’s military to prepare for conducting new nuclear and missile tests to protect against the alleged threat from the United States, despite the sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council against Pyongyang.

"Even now, when the international community has adopted tough sanctions [against Pyongyang], North Korea continuously conducts reckless provocations, following Kim Jong Un’s orders to carry out tests of a nuclear weapon and a ballistic missile," Park said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

On Friday, Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles from the western area of Sukchun into the Sea of Japan, following which, on Sunday, the country's leader ordered to intensity military training so the servicemen could better protect sea borders, as he guided landing and anti-landing exercises of the Korean People’s Army (KPA).

"Now is a very crucial time for the future of the Korean Peninsula," Park said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated after North Korea carried out a hydrogen bomb test in early January and put a satellite into orbit a month later, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community.