President Park Geun-hye on Monday presided over a National Security Council session to check the country's readiness posture amid continuing military threats posed by North Korea.

The NSC session at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae coincided with the start of the two-week Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, an annual war game jointly carried out by the South Korean and U.S. troops across the nation.

Following the NSC meeting, Park is set to hold a Cabinet meeting.

"During the meetings, President Park plans to check the readiness posture to protect the well-being of the citizens and national security in emergency situations," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told reporters.

Observers say that during the meetings, Park is likely to mention the planned deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system to South Korea, which she has repeatedly defended as an "inevitable, self-defense" measure to better counter Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

The chief executive could also touch on the latest defection of a senior North Korean diplomat, which hinted that the loyalty of North Korean elites toward their leader Kim Jong-un has been eroding amid crippling international sanctions on the isolated country. (Yonhap)