S. Korea beefs up firepower on frontline islands

When North Korea fired on South Korea’s frontline island of Yeonpyeong last year, the South`s main firepower was nothing but some 10 K-9 self-propelled guns deployed on Yeonpyeong and other northwestern islands. Several of the South`s guns malfunctioned or were destroyed in the attack, preventing the military from effective counterattack.

A year ago, the North fired about 170 shells at Yeonpyeong and waters off the island. The South sustained severe damage due to shortage of equipment for quickly and accurately hitting North Korean military posts.

That has all changed. The government has significantly reinforced ground, naval and air equipment on northwestern frontline islands to counter provocations by North Korea. The number of K-9 self-propelled guns has been tripled on Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands. Guryong 130-millimeter multiple rocket launchers and Cobra attack helicopters have also been newly deployed.

“Compared with last year, the firepower on the northwestern islands has been quadrupled or quintupled,” a South Korean military official said.

Guryong can fire 36 rockets with a range of up to 36 kilometers on enemy posts within 20 seconds. Because the rocket launchers are more powerful than the 122-millimeter rocket launchers the North used to attack Yeonpyeong last year, they can strike North Korean support units in rear areas as well as the coastal artillery positions.

The Cobra choppers’ role is to defeat North Korean special forces on hovercraft attempting to occupy the northwestern islands. In addition, a new anti-artillery radar and a hostile artillery location system are in use to trace incoming enemy shells back to the sites where they were fired in real time.

In addition to the reinforcement of equipment, the South Korean military has completely revised its rules of engagement. In the past, South Korean forces were allowed to use the same type of weapons to strike where enemy provocations originated. The new rules allow taking advantage of full forces available to strike the source of provocation and support troops.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul conducted a joint attack simulation drill of a provocation on Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong by Pyongyang on Wednesday, the same day of the artillery attack one year ago. Mobilizing major firepower including K-9 self-propelled guns, F-15K fighter jets and destroyers, the South Korean military carried out the exercise under an operational plan of striking the source of provocation in the event of a North Korean artillery attack and neutralizing rear area command posts in the event of additional provocation.

Gen. Jung Seung-jo, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. James Thurman, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, signed Wednesday a document ordering the two militaries to make a joint plan to respond to the North’s provocations. This is expected to accelerate the drawing up of the plan as agreed by both defense chiefs last month.

Seoul and Washington plan to draw up a detailed plan for scenarios of provocations by Pyongyang, including a surprise artillery attack on the northwestern islands, attempts by North Korean hovercraft or low-speed aircraft to occupy the islands, and attacks by North Korean fighter jets. The plan will reportedly contain detailed counterattacks and the size of firepower and troops to be mobilized.

Gen. Thurman, who attended the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s operation evaluation meeting, said the drills should convey a strong message to the North so that it can never provoke the South again.

In North Korea, the Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the ruling Workers` Party, said Wednesday that the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the Yeonpyeong incident occurred “due to the sinister scheme of the South Korean conservative gangsters,” adding "The Yeonpyeong incident resulted from South Korea`s `maneuvers to provoke war` on North Korea.

Uriminjokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, also blamed the Yeonpyeong incident on the South Korean military’s artillery firing exercises despite Pyongyang`s repeated warnings.

ysh1005@donga.com