Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea Kim Myung-soo (center) visits the Korea Air Force Operations Center on March 7. (Source: Korea Times)

The call came as Admiral Kim Myung-soo visited a South Korean Air Force missile defense operations center amid concerns about the threat from North Korea during the annual South Korea-US Freedom Shield exercise.

Speaking at the second Korea Air and Missile Defense Operations Center under the Air Warfare Command in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Admiral Kim Myung-soo declared: "If the enemy makes a provocation, do not look back and respond overwhelmingly without hesitation."

The center is tasked with conducting missile defense operations as part of the South Korean military's "three-axis" deterrence system against North Korea.

Earlier, on March 8, Mr. Kim Myung-soo visited the 2nd Operations Command of the Republic of Korea Army in Daegu and called on the army to maintain a state of readiness in anti-terrorism operations and coastal border protection.

On March 7, South Korea announced its decision to allocate 6.9 trillion won (equivalent to 5.19 billion USD) of this year's budget to strengthen its "three-axis" defense system to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile issues.

The "three-axis" system includes the "Kill Chain" missile preemptive strike system, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, and the Korea Massive Punishment and Response (KMPR) system.