President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday called for top military commanders to maintain a watertight readiness posture against North Korea’s ongoing nuclear development and internal political uncertainties.

In a lunch meeting with the military chiefs, she pointed to unabated cross-border tension on the back of Pyongyang’s ejection test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile last month and continuing reign of terror. Defense Minister Han Min-koo also recently raised the possibility for a “strategic provocation” by the communist regime to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers’ Party in October.

“We’re at a point where we cannot predict when North Korea will stage what kind of provocation,” Park said during the event held at Cheong Wa Dae.

“We should never ease up at any time and maintain a thorough readiness posture.”

As the peninsula remains divided 70 years after its liberation from Japanese rule, the leaders are given a “historical mission” to build peace and lay the groundwork for reunification based on a robust security setup and defense capabilities, she noted.

“It is vital to safeguard peace on the peninsula by sustaining a prevailing war deterrence through a solid security posture and strong defense capabilities,” Park said.

“Only amid that backdrop will we be able to induce a change from North Korea and establish the foundation for a peaceful unification.”

The session followed a separate conference presided over by Han to review the military’s readiness and overall defense environment in the first half with the commanders, while formulating the guidelines for the latter half and discussing ways to improve the leadership.

With corruption allegations involving former top officials and generals continuing to unravel, Han pledged to devise measures to root out irregularities and clean up the defense industry.

“Corruption in the defense industry is identical to aiding the enemy,” the minister was quoted as saying during the 90-minute talks.

“We need an in-depth assessment on the overall defense acquisition programs and to come up with comprehensive steps to stamp out corruption and make way for them to facilitate effective improvement of our forces.”

Park, for her part, urged them to step up efforts to bring about “innovation” in the military culture, saying that a military shaken by corruption and other reform-related issues will prompt the whole nation to falter.

She has regularly invited the military chiefs to the presidential palace for lunch since she was sworn in in 2013. The latest meeting was also attended by Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Choi Yun-hee, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti and the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)