S. Korean military explores 3 sites for NK infiltration tunnels

While North Korea has considerable capabilities for digging underground tunnels to infiltrate South Korea, the South Korean military is having difficulties carrying out operations to detect North Korean tunnels due to aging equipment and backward technologies. Although no additional tunnel has been discovered since 1990, the South Korean military conducts operations to detect them every year, believing that the North`s tunnel provocation is highly likely.

According to classified documents that the Headquarters of the South Korean Army submitted Thursday to Han Ki-ho, a lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, the military had obtained until recently detailed accounts and intelligence on North Korean-dug underground tunnels from defectors from the communist country. According to the documents, the Army received 15 such reports this year alone and dispatched personnel and equipment to three suspected sites, including one in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, to excavate them.

The military authorities noted in the document that the North is believed to be highly capable of digging underground infiltration tunnels. In fact, North Korea has put major military installations, including command posts, artillery positions, airfields and naval bases, in underground tunnels across the communist state. The North also conducted three nuclear tests in underground tunnels in North Hamgyong Province.

It is believed that in the event of an armed clash between the two Koreas, the North can deal a fatal blow to the South by using the tunnels to infiltrate nearly 200,000 special forces troops to the South. It has been learned that Seoul`s military leadership, including the defense minister, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Army chief of staff, continually instructed units to make full defensive preparations for the North`s tunnel provocation and carry out detection operations.

However, aging equipment and lack of relevant technologies make it difficult for the South Korean military to detect additional tunnels. Some of its drilling machines are 34 years old. Some electromagnetic wave detectors have been in use for over 21 years. Having introduced no new drilling and detecting devices over the last three years, the South Korean military is seeking ways to acquire new ones starting next year. However, it is unclear whether the military can secure the budget. Although 15 experts from 14 organizations advise the South Korean military, new technologies jointly developed by them are insufficient, according to the documents.

Moreover, military units carrying out tunnel detecting operations are allowed an annual budget of less than 500 million won (466,636 U.S. dollars). The Army Headquarters` detection unit has only about 490 million won (457,303 dollars) in this year`s budget, while a drilling unit under the Capital Defense Command has 430 million won (401,307 dollars) in budget for detection operations. The money is mostly spent for maintenance of drilling and detecting devices. The Army Headquarters has just about 10 members in its detection department.

Han said that it is necessary to maintain a full readiness posture against the North`s tunnel provocation by beef up relevant equipment and personnel.