The defense ministry is set to undergo restructuring to bolster the military’s defense against weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and cyber warfare, officials said Thursday.

Under the proposed change, the ministry’s department of non-proliferation will be renamed the “department of WMD response,”they said. Officials in that department will be tasked with forming defense policy against North Korea‘s potential WMD attacks and providing necessary guidelines, they added.

The newly-named department will also oversee non-proliferation and nuclear policies, missile defense, and response to chemical and biological weapons, officials said.

In another change, the information protection team will be renamed the “cyber protection policy team” and will formulate South Korea’s response to North Korea‘s cyber warfare threats.

“North Korea has continuously developed missiles, nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons,” a defense ministry official said. “We’re also aware of actual cyber attacks by North Korea. We need to develop policies to actively respond to such instances, and to strengthen roles and functions for relevant departments, accordingly.”

The number of civil servants at the ministry will increase from 621 to 634 under the changes, officials added. 

(Yonhap News)