N.K. media raps S. Korea's push to create military division to counter nuclear, WMD threats

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean propaganda outlet on Sunday decried South Korea's push to install a new military division handling threats from Pyongyang's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a move to enhance its "preemptive strike" capabilities.

Earlier this month, the South's defense ministry put on public notice a proposal to create the new division within the Joint Chiefs of Staff as part of efforts to counter the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Uriminjokkiri, the propaganda website, said that the move to open the new division appears intended to improve the South's preemptive strike capabilities and double down on what it calls "preparations for a war of invasion."

"That said, it would be more accurate to call it the headquarters for preemptive strikes," the website said.

The website also pinned the blame for a rise in tensions on the Korean Peninsula on the U.S. and the South, though the North has carried out a flurry of provocations, including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch last week.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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