Moon vows firm response to threats to S. Koreans' lives, safety

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in assured the South Korean people Friday that his government will deal resolutely with any act that threatens their lives and safety. He was addressing the 72nd Armed Forces Day ceremony held at the headquarters of the Special Warfare Command in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, following reports that North Korea fatally shot a South Korean government official and burned his body earlier this week. Moon stressed that South Korea will further beef up its security and defense posture. "(I) promise that the government and the military will respond resolutely to any act of threatening the people's lives and safety," the president said during the televised speech. He added South Korea can "make, keep and build up peace" by securing a strong defense posture, which nobody can surmount, on its own. He used the word "peace" several times throughout his 15-minute address but made no direct mention of North Korea. He did not talk either about the shocking incident of the South Korean citizen shot dead by the North's border guards around the western sea border. The previous day, the South's defense authorities said the 47-year-old civil servant belonging to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries was shot dead Tuesday after crossing the western sea border. The North set his body on fire apparently out of new coronavirus concerns. On Thursday evening, Moon issued a statement through his Cheong Wa Dae spokesman that it was a "shocking" incident that cannot be tolerated for any reason. He urged Pyongyang to take "responsible" measures over the "very regrettable" act. lcd@yna.co.kr (END)