South Korea will form a special military unit this year tasked with removing North Korea's leadership... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2015 file photo, South Korean army K-55 self-propelled artillery vehicles move during a military exercise near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea.... (Associated Press) 
 
 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will form a special military brigade this year tasked with removing North Korea's leadership in the event of war as Seoul looks for options to counter its rival's nuclear weapons and missiles, an official said Thursday. The country is speeding up plans to set up what some call a "decapitation unit," a brigade specifically tasked with targeting North Korea's "wartime command," including leader Kim Jong Un, according to a South Korea Defense Ministry official. The brigade was initially supposed to be ready in 2019, but the Defense Ministry now says it'll be established "by this year."
– South Korea likely stands alone in having the words "decapitation unit" feature into its New Year's resolution. As CNN reports, the country's defense minister now says the formation of a brigade that could take out Kim Jong Un and other North Korea bigwigs in the event of war will not be complete in 2019 as previously specified, but in 2017. The network notes that the two countries are technically still at war, as they signed only an armistice in 1953. The Australian reports the sped-up timeline was revealed in a Wednesday policy briefing, with Defense Minister Han Min-koo putting it thusly: "We are planning to set up a special brigade with the goal of removing or paralyzing North Korea’s wartime command structure." The AP spoke to an unnamed official who wouldn't specify whether the unit would be equipped to carry out pre-emptive strikes, or if it would have only a reactionary function in the "event of war." Han in September revealed the country did have a plan in place to take out North Korea leadership if necessary, and Wednesday's comments appear to build on that. More here.