South Korea’s defense ministry has proposed elevating the level of the military’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) response division amid ongoing concerns over North Korea’s evolving nuclear program.

The defense ministry’s proposal to “partially amend” the organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) appeared in a notice on the Ministry of Government Legislation’s website on Thursday. The move follows a JCS recommendation to establish a directorate-level headquarters in place of the existing response center. 

The proposed headquarters will operate at the same level as current JCS divisions for information, operations, strategic planning and military support and will