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) 
 
 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. 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. 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 brigade will aim to remove the North's wartime command and paralyze its function if war breaks out, according to an official from Seoul's Defense Ministry, who refused to be named, citing office rules. The brigade was originally planned to be ready by 2019. The official refused to say whether the brigade will train to execute pre-emptive strikes. 
 
 The plan was included in Defense Minister Han Min Koo's policy briefing to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who became government caretaker upon President Park Geun-hye's impeachment over a corruption scandal. 
 
 North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket test firings last year in attempts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile program. 
 
 Following the North's latest nuclear test in September, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced plans to strengthen its ability to conduct pre-emptive strikes. 
 
 It also said a "Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation" system would use special forces and cruise missiles now under development to destroy areas where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the rest of the country's decision-makers are located. ||||| Story highlights The unit was initially scheduled to be completed by 2019 
 
 It's a response to provocations by the North, Defense Ministry says 
 
 But it's a mistake, an analyst tells CNN 
 
 Seoul (CNN) South Korea is ratcheting up its rhetoric against Pyongyang with a new threat: Come at us, and we'll cut off the head of the snake. 
 
 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 unit will be activated in the "event of war," the official said. Technically, South Korea and North Korea are still at war; they signed an armistice in 1953 but not a treaty. 
 
 The brigade was initially supposed to be ready in 2019, but the Defense Ministry now says it'll be established "by this year." 
 
 The move comes after a series of provocations by Pyongyang, including broadcasting images of Kim leading a combat drill targeting the South Korea's presidential residence, the Blue House. 
 
 JUST WATCHED N. Korean military drills target S. Korea Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH N. Korean military drills target S. Korea 01:54 
 
 Read More
– 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.