President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the military to respond to North Korea with swift and stern punishment should it engage in provocations in his first meeting with top commanders since taking office in May. 

In the meeting with the commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps on Wednesday, Yoon stressed that it is the military's mission to defend the people's lives, property, territory and sovereignty at all costs.

He said the military must display a strong resolve that shows national security cannot be compromised.

The president called on the military to develop thorough response capabilities to deter the North's mounting nuclear and missile threats before talking about enhancing the efficacy of an extended deterrence based on the nation’s alliance with the U.S.

Yoon called for advancement in the nation's three-pronged defense system of the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense(KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation(KMPR) plan.

He also urged the commanders to fully invest in artificial intelligence and other science and technology platforms as the nation expects to see a troop shortage amid an anticipated population decline.