The Defense Ministry said Monday that South Korea could engage in preemptive strikes for the sake of self-defense if there is an indication that North Korea is going to use its nuclear weapons.
 
Ministry Spokesman Moon Sang-gyun revealed the view during a news briefing when asked about some in the U.S. calling for a preemptive attack against Pyongyang.
 
Meanwhile, an official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said that the JCS is maintaining defense readiness and closely tracking and monitoring the North for possible strategic and tactical provocations. He made the remark in response to whether the North could wage provocations on Monday, which marks the 71st anniversary of the foundation of the North’s ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
 
On the possibility of the North conducting a sixth nuclear test, the official said that the North is always ready to carry out a nuclear experiment, adding it is just a matter of when the order is given.