[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Three Upcoming Issues in Coastal Surveillance

Army Chief of Staff Park Jung-hwan attended the National Defense Committee plenary session at the National Assembly on the 17th and reported on the situation of the defector from the 22nd Division. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As a result of the military authorities' investigation into the 'swimming defection' incident in Goseong, Gangwon Province, it was revealed that an unidentified individual was detected 10 times on coastal surveillance equipment, but the situation room officers and video monitoring soldiers failed to identify them until the eighth detection.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 23rd, the unidentified individual who swam over from North Korea was captured five times on four coastal surveillance cameras from 1:05 a.m. to around 1:38 a.m. on the 16th. At that time, two warning alerts sounded on the situation monitor, but the soldiers in the situation room did not notice them. Subsequently, from 4:12 a.m. to 4:14 a.m., the individual was detected three times on the fence surveillance CCTV of the Joint Operations Support Center, and from 4:16 a.m. to 4:18 a.m., twice on the Civilian Control Line outpost CCTV. At this point, the military detected the unidentified individual and reported to higher authorities.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated after an on-site inspection, "The situation officers and video monitoring soldiers failed to comply with mission execution procedures and could not identify the unidentified individual," adding, "Despite instructions to inspect sluices and drainage channels following the Ganghwa Island defection incident, management was inadequate." In particular, they said, "Although the unidentified individual was first discovered at the Jejin Civilian Control Line outpost, operational execution was insufficient, such as not adhering to the situation response manual." The Joint Chiefs also refrained from providing details, stating, "It is estimated that the unidentified individual swam for six hours to cross over, but the exact route and swimming time are still under investigation."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced plans to establish operational discipline among personnel conducting surveillance operations and implement countermeasures, but critics point out that these measures are no different from those taken during the Ganghwa Island defection incident, failing to find a fundamental solution.

In particular, the Ministry of National Defense's stance to transfer coastal surveillance duties to the Coast Guard is expected to fuel controversy. The Army conducted a pilot transfer of surveillance duties in the Buan area of Jeonbuk Province in 2014. The results showed that approximately 8,600 personnel from the 35th Division were needed for coastal surveillance, whereas the Coast Guard had only about 50 personnel. This highlights the severe shortage of manpower and equipment in the Coast Guard.

As the military recognizes the Coast Guard's insufficient surveillance capabilities, it is also considering a fallback plan to transfer duties only from Dangjin on the West Coast to Uljin on the East Coast. However, if defection or infiltration incidents occur in rear areas, it could lead to disputes over responsibility between the military and the Coast Guard. Additionally, as part of Defense Reform 2.0, if the Army's 8th Corps and 23rd Division are disbanded by this year, the 22nd Division will have to take charge of surveillance in the 23rd Division's jurisdiction as well, inevitably expanding the coastal surveillance area.

A military official said, "There are many shortcomings in the current surveillance duties, so discussing mission transfer right now is not appropriate," adding, "It is more important to establish measures to prevent surveillance gaps rather than rushing to continue the policies of the Roh Moo-hyun administration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.