Adm. Choi Yun-hee, right

South Korea will defend the Yellow Sea border against possible military provocations from North, the country's top military officer said on Saturday.



Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Admiral Choi Yun-hee promised to retaliate immediately if the North threatened South Korea.



"We must be prepared at all times to protect the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which has been defended with the blood of our forefathers," he said during a visit to 2nd Fleet headquarters.



Choi spoke a day after the North claimed South Korean Navy speedboats intruded into its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea last week. The North said it would make a "sighting strike" at any South Korean warship without warning.



Choi met U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti on Friday to discuss the situation and possible countermeasures.