FILE – In this Jan. 11, 2015 file photo, South Korean army K-55 self-propelled artillery vehicles move during a military exercise near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea. South Korea will form a special military unit this year tasked with removing North Korea’s leadership in the event of war as Seoul looks for options to counter its rival’s nuclear weapons and missiles, an official said Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017. (AP Photo\/Ahn Young-joon. File)
(The Associated Press)
SEOUL, South Korea \u2013 \u00a0 South Korea is accelerating plans to create a special military unit tasked with decapitating North Korea’s leadership in the event of war as it looks for options to counter its rival’s nuclear weapons and missiles.
An official from Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that the brigade, which will aim to remove the North’s wartime command and paralyze its function if war breaks out, will be launched this year. The unit was originally planned to be ready by 2019.
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket test firings last year in attempts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile program.<\/p>\n