Seoul, 1 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday warned North Korea that any attempt to use nuclear weapons would be met with a firm and overwhelming response from South Korea and its US allies.

Speaking during an Armed Forces Day ceremony at a military base south of Seoul, Yoon said if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it would face the "resolute and overwhelming response" of its military and the South Korean-US alliance.

"That day will be the end of the North Korean regime," he added.

Yoon also denounced North Korea's "illegal arms trade" with Russia, which he said threatened world peace.

In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un revealed a uranium enrichment facility and expressed his desire to "exponentially" expand the country's nuclear weapons arsenal.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), North Korea currently possesses around 50 nuclear warheads, though the exact number is unknown.

Widely isolated North Korea is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and missile programme. The last known nuclear test took place in 2017.