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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in |
SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in urged his top military officials to continue enhancing their defense readiness and further defense capabilities Tuesday, calling national defense one of two most important pillars of the nation along with the economy.
"There are many pillars that help sustain a nation and the most important of them all are defense and economy," the president said while meeting with his top military officials, including his new Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Song's immediate predecessor Han Min-koo.
"Economy is an issue related to being better off, but defense is an issue of the country's life and death," Moon said, according to his spokesman Park Soo-hyun.
Tuesday's meeting over lunch at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae was attended by seven other top military officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Marine Corps commander, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
"Defense and security are more important now than ever as North Korea continues to stage military provocations," the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman quoted the president as saying.
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