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South Korea's defense ministry announced Tuesday that it will launch a special team on North Korea in an organizational shift aimed at responding more effectively to increased nuclear and missile threats from the communist neighbor.
Under the plan approved at a Cabinet meeting, the Ministry of National Defense will create a post to oversee its North Korea policy under the Office of National Defense Policy led by a deputy minister.
It is to serve as the ministry's "control tower" on handling North Korea affairs.
The ministry will also establish a division specializing in coping with the North's nuclear program in close coordination with the Nuclear and WMD Response Center of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is in charge of military operations.
The Counter WMD Division will be reorganized into the Missile & Space Policy Division, while the North Korea Policy Division and the Arms Control Division will be maintained, according to the ministry.
"The (new) director general of North Korea policy will be in charge of the four divisions," it said. "The reorganization this time is meaningful in that the Ministry of National Defense has set up a system necessary to effectively deter and respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."
It's also expected to support the government's push for denuclearizing Korea, building inter-Korean military trust and bringing peace to the peninsula, added the ministry.
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