President Moon Jae-in says South Korea must talk to the North in order to denuclearize the  Korean Peninsula but, at the same time, must also build up its response capability to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. 

The president made the remark on Tuesday when he gave a congratulatory speech at a graduation ceremony of the the Korea Military Academy in northern Seoul.

He stressed that the country's goal is to achieve peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula however without a strong military and robust national defense it cannot be achieved or maintained. 

Citing that he sent special envoys to North Korea on Monday, Moon said the journey has begun toward peace and prosperity with the confidence that denuclearization and peace can happen on the peninsula.

In particular, Moon pledged to further strengthen the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and continue efforts to win the full support of the international community, including neighboring countries, for peace on the Korean Peninsula.