(LEAD) Defense ministry warns any North Korean nuclear use attempt would result in Kim regime's end

(ATTN: UPDATES with Army chief's unit visit in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry warned Sunday that any attempt by North Korea to use nuclear weapons would lead to the "end" of its regime, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an "exponential" increase in the country's nuclear arsenal.

The North Korean leader made the call during a recent plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, where the country reiterated its push to strengthen nuclear weapons capabilities while naming the South "our undoubted enemy."

"We gravely warn that should North Korea make an attempt at using nuclear arms, it would lead to the end of the Kim Jong-un regime," the ministry said in a text message sent to reporters.

The ministry urged the North to immediately stop its nuclear development and return to a path of denuclearization, while calling on it to clearly realize such a course correction would be the "only way" to improve its people's livelihoods.

It also stressed that it would deter and respond to the North's nuclear and missile threats by "dramatically" reinforcing its "three-axis" defense system.

The three-pronged system consists of the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict; the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike platform; and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system.

"Our military will build a military readiness posture to sternly retaliate against any symmetric or asymmetric North Korean provocations based on the determination not to hesitate to even go to war," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park Jeong-hwan made an unannounced visit to a special mission brigade of the Special Warfare Command tasked with conducting in-depth infiltrations during wartime.

"As your brigade is charged with carrying out various operations following infiltrations into enemy areas in a contingency, you must be equipped with capabilities and the posture as a special warfare unit that the North would fear the most," he was quoted as saying.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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