(VOVworld) – South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said the country was exerting great efforts to prevent North Korea’s provocative acts and called for efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and open an era of peace on the Korean peninsula.

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (second, right) at a meeting of national security council in Seoul on September 9 (Photo: Yonhap/ VNA)

At a ceremony to mark its National Foundation Day on October 3, Mr. Hwang said South Korea has agreed with the US, Japan, the EU, China and Russia and other countries to protest at North Korea’s nuclear program. South Korea has enhanced its military forces to deal with the dangerous threat posed by North Korea. Since the beginning of the year, the North has launched five ballistic-missile tests. The UN Security Council is preparing a resolution to impose tougher sanctions on Pyongyang.