"We will definitely air raid DPRK," Kim Kwan-jin said at his confirmation hearing when asked how the RoK would respond if struck again, according to the official Yonhap News Agency.

Kim was appointed defense minister last week amid growing tensions on the Korean peninsula following an exchange of gunfire between the two sides.

His comments reflect a potential shift in RoK policy toward provocations from the DPRK. Previously, RoK President Lee Myung-bak warned of severe consequences if the DPRK launched another attack, but declined to name specifics.

Kim Kwan-jin criticized the RoK response to the attack, saying that military officials should have ordered immediate airstrikes after the shelling.

He also said the military missed intelligence pointing to a possible attack by the DPRK.

Meanwhile on December 3, the RoK made preparations to begin new live-fire drills along five islands in the Yellow Sea in an effort to deter future provocations from the DPRK, Yonhap reported. The move threatens to further stoke tensions with the North.