Defense Minister Shin Won-sik speaks during a meeting with personnel at the Defense Counterintelligence Command in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, Thursday, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. Yonhap

South Korea's defense chief on Thursday urged military intelligence and cybersecurity forces to maintain a robust posture to deter growing security threats in emerging battlefields.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the Defense Counterintelligence Command in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, and highlighted its role in protecting military and defense industry secrets.

"As the sole unit specialized in security and counter intelligence operations, I want you to be fully prepared in protecting military and defense industry secrets," Shin was quoted as saying.

He then visited the Cyber Operations Command to urge military personnel to actively prepare for rising threats in the cyber domain.

"In the cyber battlefield where boundaries between the wartime and peacetime, friends and foes, combatants and non-combatants are ambiguous, a silent war is intensively taking place right now through hacking and cyberterrorism. The Cyber Operations Command's role is very important," Shin said.

Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su held a meeting of key commanders at the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, just south of Seoul, and called for realistic training and equipping soldiers with a strong combat mentality.

On Wednesday, Shin presided over a meeting of top military commanders, where he stressed the need to educate troops with mental strength as part of efforts to maintain readiness against North Korean threats. (Yonhap)