South Korea to create special army unit to tackle terror attacks by the North

The South Korean military is pushing to create an additional army unit in preparations for possible “terror attacks” from North Korea, amid rising tensions on the peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday citing military authorities.

An unidentified South Korean military official was quoted as saying that the military plans to intensively build up anti-terror capabilities in preparation for possible North Korean terror attacks.

The military is pushing for an additional creation of a state-level anti-terror army unit or an expansion of the existing anti-terror unit to a state-level one, according to the official.

READ MORE: Seoul’s spy service says North Korea is preparing cyber and other attacks

South Korea’s military is already operating anti-terror units under the army’s special warfare command and the chemical, biological and radiological protection command.

The plan came amid growing worries in South Korea about possible terrorist attacks from the DPRK after its fourth nuclear test on January 6, followed by a long-range rocket launch on February 7, which outsiders see as a banned test of ballistic missile technology.

South Korea’s senior presidential press secretary Kim Sung-woo told a press briefing on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently issued an order to muster up its anti-South Korea terror attack capabilities and that the North’s spy agency is preparing to implement the order.