South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday instructed troops not to hesitate to take retaliatory actions in the event of a North Korea attack.

Inspecting a coastline guard post of the Army's 32nd Infantry Division, Han stressed the need for "perfect" combat posture both on the front lines and in the rear. 

"There shouldn't be any disorder even by an inch in the military," he said. "Any provocation from the North should not be tolerated."

The minister urged the military to be fully ready for the completion of operations "on-the-spot" at a "decisive" time, citing the grim security conditions on the peninsula.

The North's Kim Jong-un regime has been in an provocative mode, test-firing ballistic missiles and churning out war rhetoric. (Yonhap)