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He made the remarks at an event in Daejeon to commemorate the deaths of around 55 South Korean sailors who lost their lives during naval skirmishes with North Korea and other incidents in the West Sea.
"The repressive North Korean regime continues to threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula and around the world, while neglecting the dire conditions of its own people," Han pointed out.
"While enhancing its weapons through illegal arms deals with Russia, North Korea is threatening with new schemes of provocation and hostility," he added.
But Han assured that, despite these threats, South Korea's government and military will remain fully committed to protecting its citizens by strengthening its alliance with the U.S. and bolstering international solidarity.
Waters near the western maritime border have long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas, with a series of clashes including a naval skirmish near Yeonpyeong Island in 2002 that killed six sailors, the sinking of a South Korean corvette by a torpedo attack by the North in March 2010 that took the lives of 46 sailors, and an artillery attack of the island about eight months later.
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