"Our position is that we can launch a preemptive strike to reduce damage on our side if there are clear signs of an imminent North Korean missile attack," Han said at the session of the South Korean Parliament’s National Defense Committee, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
The South Korean defense minister stressed that after the assessment of the recent North Korean missile test, both Seoul and Tokyo agree that Pyongyang might have launched an intermediate-range missile, instead an intercontinental one.
North Korea has carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests in recent months, all of which are considered to be in violation with the UN Security Council resolution. Pyongyang's actions are also seen as a threat by its neighbors, Japan and South Korea, and their allies, such as the United States.
