Marine Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Lee Sang-hoon instructed his troops to maintain tight combat readiness as he inspected the defense postures of the two frontline islands facing North Korea on Monday.

The commander visited Marine Corps units on the western border islands of Maldo and Udo along the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime demarcation between the two Koreas, earlier in the day, according to the Marine Corps.

"Udo and Maldo are something akin to the point of a sword in the Marine Corps' city-area defense operations," Lee said. "Perfect combat readiness should be maintained here with the determination that if the enemy provokes, the Marine Corps will thrust the sharpest dagger into the enemy's heart to kill them in the blink of an eye."

During the visits, Lee was briefed on the defense postures of Marine Corps troops and inspected the maintenance of fortifications and combat scenarios, the Marine Corps said.

"I urge you to show the robust mental strength and tight teamwork of marine forces in order to keep the best combat power," Lee was quoted as saying.

Sitting at the strategically important location close to the NLL, Udo is the smallest of South Korea's five frontline islands, and the Marine Corps has been increasing the combat capacities and fortifications on Udo as well as its sister island Maldo, it said. (Yonhap)