The office of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday the government approved a plan for the creation of a new military unit to bolster its defenses against chemical, nuclear and biological incidents.

The approval was made at a regular interagency anti-terrorism meeting presided over by Han earlier in the day, the office said in a statement.

Under the approval, two battalions of the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Command will be merged to become a new military unit in November, it said.

The new unit will be tasked with boosting preparedness and responses to chemical, biological and radiological threats to key state facilities nationwide, it said.

Han told the meeting that relevant agencies should "maintain and develop a thorough anti-terrorism and rapid response system," the statement said. (Yonhap)