24-Hour Ironclad Surveillance Integrated with AI

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] Since the 1980s, North Korea has continued infiltrations into South Korea using small submarines. Representative infiltration incidents include the 1983 Busan Dadaepo Incident, the 1985 Busan Cheongsapo Incident, the 1996 Gangneung Incident, the 1998 Sokcho Incident, the 1998 Ganghwa Island Incident, and the Yeosu Incident. In the Busan Dadaepo Incident, our military successfully sank a semi-submersible vessel that had infiltrated the waters off Busan Dadaepo. Since then, our military has started deploying surveillance systems incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology to replace outdated radars in preparation for North Korea’s infiltrations. To observe the dense defense network, I visited the 53rd Division located in Haeundae, Busan, on the 22nd.

Climbing Wausan in Haeundae-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, the autumn leaves on both sides of the road seemed to wave their hands, signaling the “end of autumn.” After briefly enjoying the foliage, the military guide officer’s vehicle turned onto a narrow road marked as a military restricted area. The unit located in an unexpected place was the Army 53rd Division Cheongsapo Radar Base. Inside the base, there was only a three-story building. Following the military official’s guidance to the third floor, unlike the seemingly peaceful building, about ten soldiers were glued to dozens of monitors.

In the front row, three areas were each divided by numbers in the 100s, with two surveillance soldiers assigned in front of each. The numbers indicated the locations where the radars were installed. Looking at the large monitor in front of the soldiers, numerous dots moved slightly. These were fishing boats and passenger ships floating on the sea. Clicking on a dot revealed the ship’s name, speed, location, and navigation status. It was linked with the Vessel Positioning and Alerting System (V-PASS), allowing real-time information viewing. However, some objects did not display information when clicked. These were unidentified objects. When soldiers detected an unidentified object on the monitor, they recorded the first detection time, location, and tracked it.

The Cheongsapo Radar Base had detected an unidentified object at sea just three days before my visit. At 7 p.m. under the dark sky, a radar surveillance soldier first detected the unidentified object, and the Coast Guard dispatched a coastal rescue boat. The unidentified object was confirmed to be a refrigerator floating on the water and was recovered.

Dusong-geun, Chief of the Integrated Situation Room (Warrant Officer), said, “Tsushima Island of Japan is located 53 km ahead, and numerous passenger ships and fishing boats navigate in front of Busan. Especially in summer, leisure sports activities by vacationers increase, raising the tension.”

Next to the monitor, a list of equipment capable of infiltration was displayed clearly, considering the day’s water temperature, wave height, weather, and sunrise time. Underwater propulsion vehicles were noted for the morning hours, semi-submersibles for the afternoon, and submarines for the evening.

Moving to the middle row to look at the monitor, the “AI-based maritime surveillance alert system” was tracking unidentified objects. Over 100 dots appeared on the radar monitor. These dots could be fishing boats, but they could also be sea surface reflections like waves or false images such as flocks of birds or dolphins. Soldiers had to distinguish whether these dots were unidentified objects or illusions. However, human capability has limitations in making this distinction.

The radar equipment alert system based on AI distinguished unidentified objects through six algorithms analyzing reflection area, speed, repetitive patterns, and more. Additionally, if 16 specific abnormal patterns such as leaving fishing areas, entering vulnerable zones, or sudden high-speed maneuvers were detected, soldiers were alerted and began tracking. On the monitor, two objects marked with red circles were being tracked. These were unidentified objects under tracking based on algorithms and patterns.

On one side, a thermal imaging device (TOD) observer was watching the sea in front of Haeundae through a monitor. The TOD video detects objects at sea using infrared and converts them into video information. Although the monitor showed black-and-white images, it accurately displayed the movements of ships and people. The TOD observer printed over 30 images of ships and posted them on the wall, frequently comparing and cross-checking.

Climbing to the rooftop, a 10-meter-high GPS-98K radar was continuously rotating in place. Looking at the sea in front of Busan, it was difficult to identify the reflected objects on the water. The radar felt reassuring. Leaving the base, seeing citizens enjoying the last autumn leaves made the soldiers feel even more dependable.

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