South Korea has bolstered its defense readiness for possible nuclear strikes by North Korea over the past few years, the nation’s defense chief said Thursday.

At a meeting with reporters, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said the military has been preparing for such a contingency over the last several years and that countermeasures are included in its current operation strategy.

Yoon also said South Korea has yet to detect any special move from North Korea's military in the wake of Pyongyang’s announcement confirming its possession nuclear weapons.

Yoon added South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies hold similar views on the level of North Korea’s capabilities to develop nuclear weapons, but may defer on estimates of the North's current nuclear arsenal.