In an annual defense white paper, the ministry said North Korea upgraded its military power by reorganizing army divisions and deploying 500 short-range missiles and other artillery units along the border with the South.
The North's military, armed with chemical and biological weapons and missiles, still poses a serious threat, but South Korea's 690,000-member armed forces, backed by 37,000 U.S. troops, can cope with any military threat from the communist country, the report said.
Defense Minister Cho Sung-tae held a meeting of top military commanders Monday and vowed to keep strong deterrence against the North Korean military threat. "Whatever changes happen in inter-Korean relations and security our basic mission will not change at all," he said.
"The military should maintain tight preparedness as the last vanguard of our national interest. North Korea's military strength and threat, as always, is top priority for the military."
The white paper described North Korea as South Korea's "main enemy" because the communist country's military policy remains unchanged despite reconciliatory mood that has set in since the historic summit meeting in June.
Leaders of the two Cold War rivals pledged to work toward reconciliation, cooperation and an eventual unification of the divided halves of the peninsula. Under the summit agreement, defense ministers from both sides met in September for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War and agreed to seek tension-reduction measures. The defense chiefs agreed to meet again in December.
Despite the peace mood, the white paper said, North Korea has kept bolstering its military power. An unspecified number of multiple rocket launchers were deployed "recently" along the 95-mile-long heavily armed border to boost the North's ability to launch a surprise attack, the report said.
The North has also increased the number of military aircraft to 870 this year from 850 a year ago, which prompted South Korea to acquire 20 fighters and 10 support planes. The North increased its army divisions from 63 in 1999 to 67 this year by transforming five brigades, but the total number of soldiers remained unchanged at 1.17 million. North Korea's conventional military strength is far superior to South Korea's, the white paper said.
Saying South Korea would give high priority to ensuring a lasting peace, the report called for the North's concerted efforts to reduce military tensions.
"With 'confidence building and arms reduction as the guiding principle, the Republic of [South] Korea strives to reduce tension and ensure peaceful coexistence on the peninsula," the paper said.
North Korea has denounced South Korea for increasing its defense budget for next year, calling it "an unpardonable crime."
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