South Korea does not have plans to overthrow the North Korean government, the South Korean ambassador to Moscow said on Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of State classified cables recently released by whistleblower website Wikileaks claimed the United States and South Korea were mulling the possibility bringing down the North Korean government and uniting it under Seoul's leadership.
"We have no plans of overthrowing the power in North Korea...Seoul's military strategy only deals with defensive drills, not with the aggressive ones," South Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Yun-ho said.
The envoy also said Seoul could respond to Pyongyang's provocations. "We hope a war will not go ahead, but it is important to see what these provocations will turn into."
Last week, North Korea opened artillery fire on the South's Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. Sixteen others were injured, along with three civilians. The South retaliated and warned of further strikes. The North later accused South Korea of attacking first.
North and South Korea remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed following the Korean War in 1953. The Demilitarized Zone between the countries is the most heavily armed border in the world.
MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti)
