We’ll bomb North, says new South Korea minister

South Korea will bomb the North if Pyongyang attacks its territory again, the new defence minister said today.

Kim Kwan-Jin, told a parliamentary hearing that more North Korean aggression will lead to air strikes.

"In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy cannot provoke again," he said.

President Lee Myung-Bak has been severely criticised for its "weak" response to the North's shelling of a South Korean island last week.

The North fired 170 artillery rounds, compared with 80 returned by South Korea. It was also claimed that the South's spy chief dismissed information in August indicating North Korea might attack the island of Yeonpyeong.

Mr Kim said it would be difficult for North Korea to conduct a full-scale war because of its weak economy and a plan to transfer power from leader Kim Jong-il to his son, Kim Jong-Un.

America and Japan began one of their biggest military exercises today, mobilising more than 44,000 troops, hundreds of aircraft and a US supercarrier. China said: "There are already enough of these kinds of military exercises."