South Korea’s defense chief slammed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's remarks from Wednesday that hinted at a possible war. Shin in response asked his troops to thoroughly take part in ongoing joint drills with the U.S. to be able to "put an end to Kim Jong-un’s regime” in the event of an invasion by the North.

The Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that defense minister Shin Won-sik visited the B-1 bunker, located under the Capital Defense Command and inspected the site of the annual 'Freedom Shield'(FS) ROK-U.S. combined military exercises.

After receiving a report on the joint exercises, Shin said that a North Korean invasion of South Korea will mean a prompt end to the Kim Jong-un regime, calling on the troops to make every effort to brace for such a scenario.

Shin on Thursday stressed that through the annual combined drills, the military must shore up readiness for evolving security threats, including provocations and fake news, through its multi-domain operational capabilities, including land, sea, air, cyber and space.

He also warned that the North will likely attempt various provocations during the period that the drills take place, calling on his generals to retaliate first and report later, should Pyongyang initiate any aggression.

North Korea’s state-run mouthpiece said Kim visited a major operational training base in the western area on Wednesday where he called for intensifying its war drills and improving combat capabilities to contain enemies with “overwhelming force.”