SEOUL, The military plans to establish a new strategic command overseeing key assets to deter North Korean threats within the compound of the Capital Defense Command in southern Seoul, informed sources said Tuesday. South Korea has been pushing to establish the strategic command to serve as an overarching organ to implement the military's "three-axis" defense system. It will be created by upgrading the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Directorate of Countering Nuclear and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The three-pronged system refers to the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict; the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform; and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system. Last November, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the command is expected to be launched in the second half of this year and led by an Air Force lieutenant general. The push for the envisioned unit comes as Seoul seeks to step up deterrence against North Korea's evol ving military threats. Meanwhile, the government is pushing to relocate the Joint Chiefs of Staff's headquarters to the Capital Defense Command's compound by 2027 from its current location inside the defense ministry's complex in central Seoul. Source: Yonhap News Agency