South Korea will hit back with air strikes and punish the attacker thoroughly if North Korea launched any further military assault. The South Korean Defence Minister-designate said, we will definitely use the air force to strike back. Kim Kwan-Jin was answering a question at his parliamentary confirmation hearing about what the South's response would be if attacked again. Mr Kim said Seoul will exercise its right to self-defence and punish the attacker thoroughly until the source of hostility is eliminated. He, however, dismissed the chance of full-scale war as slim, citing the military prowess of South Korean and allied US forces and the North's domestic problems.