Ministry of National Defense Advances Deployment of '3-Axis System Core Departments'

The three-axis system consists of the Kill Chain concept, which preemptively strikes the origin point if there are signs of a missile launch from North Korea; the Korean Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD), which intercepts launched missiles; and the Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation system (KMPR), which punishes the command leadership, including Kim Jong-un, in the event of a nuclear attack from North Korea.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense is pushing to establish a new ‘Defense Policy Officer’ position to strengthen the three-axis system. This signifies a shift from the ‘North Korea Policy Officer’ position, a product of the Moon Jae-in administration’s North Korea reconciliation policy, to focusing on crisis management and response to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

According to a Ministry of National Defense official on the 9th, the ministry is currently consulting with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the government organization’s main department, on the reorganization plan. The main point is to abolish the North Korea Policy Officer, a director-level organization newly established at the end of 2017 during the Moon Jae-in administration to serve as the ‘control tower’ for North Korea policy, and to create the Defense Policy Officer position.

According to the Ministry of National Defense’s reorganization plan, the North Korea Policy Division and Arms Control Policy Division under the current North Korea Policy Officer will be moved under the Policy Planning Officer of the Defense Policy Office. The North Korea Nuclear Response Policy Division and Missile and Space Policy Division will be transferred to the newly established Defense Policy Officer. A Defense Policy Division will also be newly created under the Defense Policy Officer. The Ministry of National Defense’s organizational reorganization can be implemented once the revision plan is finalized through inter-agency consultations and goes through government procedures such as legislative notice and Cabinet approval.

The government has already announced plans to further strengthen South Korea’s three-axis system. On the 8th, Shin In-ho, the 2nd Deputy Director of the National Security Office, stated at a ruling party-government meeting held at the National Assembly to review national security related to North Korean provocations, "We will devise measures centered on the three-axis system to effectively neutralize North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles within the term."

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop also said, "Recent signs of preparations for the 7th nuclear test by North Korea have been identified, making the security situation on the Korean Peninsula very serious," and added, "We will further strengthen South Korea’s three-axis system."

With the establishment of the Defense Policy Officer, who will be responsible for military power, efforts to build the three-axis system will inevitably be reinforced. For now, the military authorities intend to focus on enhancing North Korea’s nuclear and missile detection and interception capabilities. The three-axis system consists of ▲Kill Chain (preemptive strike in case of emergency) ▲Korean Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD, North Korean missile interception system) ▲Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR, retaliation against provocation points and command centers), which form the South Korean military’s response system to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The military plans to expedite the early deployment of the currently developing Long-range Artillery Missile Defense system (LAMD, also known as the Korean Iron Dome) and Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM). The military aims to complete the LAMD system development by 2029 and deploy it by 2035. The L-SAM is also planned to be deployed earlier than the initially targeted year of 2026. Additionally, development of the L-SAM2, which will replace the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, is underway.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.