S.Korean, US troops to test readiness vs. NK hovercraft

South Korean and U.S. troops plan to examine their military preparedness against North Korea`s hovercraft base in Goampo, South Hwanghae Province, in their ongoing annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercises.

According to military sources Wednesday, South Korean military authorities plan to evaluate their defensive measures in the event that the North makes a provocative attempt to attack or occupy the South`s five frontline islands in the Yellow Sea by launching a surprise infiltration through the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean sea border, with a large number of hovercraft and air-cushioned warships.

The sources said South Korean and U.S. troops will likely focus on examining tactics to use combined monitored assets to detect signs of sudden infiltration by North Korean hovercraft "as soon as possible" so that artillery and naval and air force troops deployed to the five islands can repel North Korean vessels in waters near the sea border.

Completed in June, the Goampo base in the North can accommodate about 70 hovercraft and is just 50 kilometers away from the South`s Baengnyeong Island. The South Korean military says that if the North relocates hovercraft from its base in North Pyongan Province, it will likely be capable of sending special forces equivalent to two brigades to the island within 30 minutes.

To counter the threat, the South Korean military established a defense command in June to better shield the five islands and beefed up strike forces and surveillance equipment.

The South Korean military`s equipment alone cannot easily detect signs of the North`s provocation, however, as the Goampo base is located in a deep inland area on the west coast. In addition, the South Korea military lacks strike forces capable of quickly and effectively defeating infiltrating North Korean hovercraft at sea.

ysh1005@donga.com