An organization of North Korean defectors in South Korea will launch a monitoring center next week on North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction.

The projected monitoring center will gather information about Pyongyang's latest nuclear and missile developments while reporting new information to media organizations and related authorities.

It will also report on the North's WMD buildup with the relevant authorities after obtaining information via different routes, including North Korean defectors in the South.

Kim Heung-kwang, the head of North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, a think tank set up by defectors, said Wednesday that his organization is to officially establish the monitoring center.

"We will collect information on the North's WMD situation such as its research and development, and also inform the public and related institutions by making full use of data collected," Kim said.

He said the NKIS has already test-operated the WMD monitoring center for the past six months after it began trial operations in October last year.

As to its future action programs, Kim said they will collect related information from high-level North Korean officials and scientists familiar with defense-related technologies and the country's decision-making process.

This program is aimed at promoting the South Korean military's countermeasures against the North's continued development of WMDs.

At the upcoming press conference, the NKIS said it will outline the action plan for the monitoring center, its operations and personnel composition. (Yonhap)