President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that Seoul will take more tangible actions against North Korea‘s nuclear provocations, adding that a disputed US anti-missile battery is needed as protection from possible missile attacks from Pyongyang.

“The military should maintain a high-degree retaliation system that may put an end to the North Korean regime, should it fire a single nuclear-tipped missile toward our land,” Park said at the Cabinet meeting.

The state leader described the communist state’s nuclear provocations as “evident and tangible“ threats, not only for the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, but for the international society in general.

”The North‘s nuclear test was an obvious provocation that came amid the international community’s increasing warnings against nuclear armament,” she said.

President Park recently rounded off an eight-day overseas tour during which she met with counterparts of key power states -- the US, China, Japan and Russia -- and called for their participation in sanctions against the North.

The reclusive North Korean regime implemented its fifth and largest nuclear test Friday, apparently marking its government foundation day and protesting against the international society‘s growing pressure on its nuclear activities.

After citing the North Korean threats, the president reiterated her support for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to be deployed in the southern part of the country by 2017 as countermeasure to possible missile aggressions.

“Opposing the THAAD deployment under the given circumstances will only expose the lives and safety of our people to North Korean provocations,” she said.

“Should we annul the THAAD plan at this point in time, when the North is pushing ahead with its nuclear and missile programs, I suspect that our national security will be at risk.”

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)