Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo also plans to attend the session at the call of the president, she added, although he's not a formal member of the NSC panel.

It will be presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office.

Military tensions have been sharply rising since last week's killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, arguably Iran's most powerful commander, by an US drone bombing at Baghdad's international airport.

Global oil prices have further soared. The growing sense of crisis may also affect South Korea's move to play a role in ensuring the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

It may serve as a wake-up call for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has threatened to unveil a "new strategic weapon" to counter Washington's "hostile" policy against his regime. (Yonhap)