The commander of the U.S. Pacific Command says the attitude of the South Korean people and President Lee Myung-bak’s government “has fundamentally changed" following North Korea’s two attacks on the South last year.

Admiral Robert Willard made the remark on Tuesday during a briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, adding “there is very strong intolerance at this point for any other additional provocations."

Willard said South Korea and its military’s action to defend itself is a clear right and obligation. He said the South’s response to counter the North’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island with artillery fire is nothing unusual.

Willard also said that discussions between Seoul and Washington continue to address how to respond further to North Korean provocations.

When asked about the possibility of the North conducting another missile or nuclear test, Willard said such a possibility exists. He noted that when power was succeeded in the North in the past, the new leadership tended to engage in provocation in order to build trust with the military.