The military will bolster an Air Force unit tasked with defending against North Korea's mounting missile threats by bringing in additional equipment and expanding its role.

The defense ministry on Thursday issued an advance legislation notice for its plan to revamp the existing Air Defense Missile Command by April, intending to shore up the military's anti-missile capabilities.

The command will receive additional ballistic-missile early-warning radars and mid-range surface-to-air missiles, called "Cheongung Two," a key part of the nation's anti-missile program.

The ministry said that the reinforced command will monitor strategic and operational threats in the air to counter complex, wide-area, multi-layer missiles while also executing regional air defense tasks.

The military is expected to rename the unit to reflect its expanded role as the country prepares to deploy a homegrown long-range surface-to-air missile.

This announcement coincides with the pending launch of its enhanced Army Missile Strategic Command in April.