How South Korea Plans To Kill Kim Jong Un: North Korean Leader Target Of 'Kill Chain' Operation

South Korea is putting the finishing touches on its plan to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if the occasion arises. The war plans involve a special military force charged with wiping out Pyongyang's leadership, including Kim, known as the "decapitation unit."

The military plan was initially scheduled to be carried out in 2019, but the operation was moved up because of North Korea's increasingly tense threats to attack South Korea and use nuclear weapons on its enemies, Sky News reported Thursday. South Korea's defense minister Han Min-Koo said the special unit known as the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation plan could launch its attack this year.

"We are planning to set up a special brigade with the goal of removing or (at least) paralyzing North Korea's wartime command structure," he told acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, according to the Yonhap news agency. He also warned of a "strategic or tactical provocation" from Pyongyang but did not explain his remarks.

The military unit is prepared to block missiles from North Korea heading for South Korea. Its "Kill Chain" operation also calls for a pre-emptive military strike in the "event of war," the official said. But under international law, South Korea and North Korea have been at war for decades.

Kim most recently threatened the world when he vowed to develop long-range missiles during his televised New Year's message. President-elect Donald Trump responded via tweet: "It won't happen."

Kim also recently oversaw a combat drill targeting the South Korea's presidential residence, the Blue House. With Trump's election in the U.S., North Korea is preparing to step up its aggressions, one defector has warned.

"Due to domestic political procedures, North Korea calculates that South Korea and the U.S. will not be able to take physical or military actions to deter North Korea's nuclear development," warned Thae Yong Ho, who previously served in a senior role as a deputy ambassador for Pyongyang in London.