"Our military should actively support the government's efforts to establish peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through South-North dialogue by deterring North Korea's provocations," he said. "It's because a strong military can keep and generate peace."

He also called for a constant push for the "mutually complementary" development of the Seoul-Washington alliance.

It's urgent for South Korea to beef up its own defense capabilities in order to create conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops from the US, said the minister.

He pledged the military's full support for the hosting of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Yonhap)