South Korean defence chief vows retaliatory strikes on North Korea if provoked

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik (Han Jong-chan/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea’s defence minister on Friday vowed massive retaliatory missile strikes on “the heart and head” of North Korea in the event of provocation, as the rivals escalate their rhetoric over their respective spy satellite launches in recent days.

The South Korean warning — an unusually fiery rhetoric by Seoul directed at Pyongyang — came as the top security advisers from South Korea, the US and Japan gathered in Seoul for talks to discuss North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats and other issues.