Kim Kwan-jin

The North Korean regime is stabilizing and new leader Kim Jong-un is asserting himself, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told reporters on Thursday.

"It seems Kim Jong-un is hard at work tightening his grip on power, for example asserting control of the military by demoting vice marshal Hyon Yong-chol to a four-star general," the minister said.

But Kim Kwan-jin warned of another nuclear provocation, especially at a time of uncertainty as South Korea elects a new president. "The North has already conducted two tests, so it will have to conduct another one sooner or later" he said.