The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) says the military is stepping up its defense readiness in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats which are growing more sophisticated.
 
The JCS made the remark during a news briefing Thursday with regard to a KBS report that the military is planning to deploy a single Patriot Advanced Capability 3, or PAC-3, unit in northern Seoul to counter the North’s missile threats.
 
The JCS said it cannot confirm any plans regarding military strength or operations.
 
Earlier on Wednesday, KBS quoted a government official as saying that military authorities have decided to deploy a PAC-3 unit at a location in Seoul north of the Han River. 
 
Military authorities believe that once the PAC-3 unit is deployed in the capital, a multilayered defense system will be created together with units deployed outside the metropolitan area.
 
Since last year, the military has been working on upgrading the PAC-2 battery, which uses a blast fragmentation detonation, to PAC-3 systems which hit targets directly.

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