South Korea warns North Korea will be “wiped out” if it uses nuclear weapons

"North Korea will be wiped off the map if it uses the nuclear weapons it has developed against South Korea or the United States,"Yonhapquoting a speech by South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at a security forum, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in Singapore today.

Mr. Song said that leader Kim Jong-un's mention of a nuclear attack was just a "propaganda" strategy, not something that would happen. "The idea that North Korea would use nuclear weapons to unify (the two Koreas) is an outdated idea," Mr. Song said in response to a question received after his speech.

Mr. Song also mentioned the efforts of President Moon Jae-in's administration in dialogue with North Korea. "It may be a difficult path, it will take a long time, but I think we have to go that path and be patient," Mr. Song said.

Mr. Song held talks with US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Hawaii last weekend. The two ministers reaffirmed the strength of the US-South Korea alliance in the face of North Korea.

"Any attempt to divide the US-ROK alliance will fail" because the two countries share the common goal of "complete, verifiable, and irreversible" denuclearization of North Korea, according to a press release issued after the talks.