S.Korea Establishes Nuke, WMD Response Division

South Korea on Monday launched a new division tasked with countering threats from North Korea's nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an "exponential" increase in his country's nuclear arsenal citing threats from the U.S. and South Korea.

"(We) will all give our best to be equipped at an early stage with a posture to immediately respond to any nuclear and missile threats from the North, as well as response capabilities that can overwhelm the enemy," Maj. Gen. Park Hu-soung, the inaugural head of the new body, was quoted as saying by South Korean media.

The new directorate originated from the nuclear and WMD response center under the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Directorate of Strategic Planning. It evolved into a separate directorate with added functions of information, operations, and force and combat development, Yonhap News Agency reported today.

The JCS said the new directorate will lead Seoul's efforts to develop its "three-axis" defense system, oversee the integrated management of capabilities in space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum domains.

The three-pronged system consists of the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict; the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform; and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system.