S. Korea to bolster assets against N. Korean nuclear, missile threats

S. Korea to bolster assets against N. Korean nuclear, missile threats
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By Sam Kim

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Friday unveiled a set of defense policy
guidelines that would enable it to scrutinize every North Korean nuclear and
missile base independently by 2020 and strike it if necessary.
The guidelines, effective between fiscal 2009 and 2020, were announced as tension
heightened on the Korean Peninsula following the second nuclear test by North
Korea on May 25.
"National Defense Reform 2020" was first introduced in 2005, a year before North
Korea conducted its first underground nuclear explosion and test-fired a
long-range ballistic missile.
The reform plan came under scrutiny early last year, when President Lee Myung-bak
took office in Seoul with a pledge to press harder for the nuclear disarmament of
North Korea.
The relations between the Koreas have since hit one of their lowest points in
modern history. The two remain technically at war across a heavily armed border
after their 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
Following the latest atomic test, North Korea test-fired a series of short-range
missiles and declared the armistice void. It is also believed to be making
preparations to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile that can theoretically
hit Alaska.
"Following the second nuclear test and missile tests by North Korea, we have
re-assessed the North Korean threats and our capabilities to respond," South
Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said in a briefing.
Approved Friday by President Lee, Reform 2020 prioritizes the expansion of
high-tech military assets capable of monitoring and hitting North Korean nuclear
and missile sites wherever they are.
South Korea's ability to scrutinize North Korean bases north of Pyongyang has
been limited because of its lack of advanced intelligence equipment, according to
South Korean defense sources.
The reform plan is aimed at redressing the shortfall and therefore reduce the
reliance on U.S. intelligence by 2020 through the acquisition of drones and a
satellite, according to officials.
The South Korean military "should reinforce its capacity to perform surveillance
and reconnaissance, conduct precision-guided strikes and make interceptions," the
reform plan said.
The reinforcement is aimed at "stemming and eliminating to a maximum degree" what
the Ministry of National Defense described as the North's "asymmetrical threats"
-- nuclear and missile programs.
"If it becomes clear that North Korea is moving to hit us with its nuclear and
missile arsenal, we will hit its bases as quickly as possible to prevent launches
no matter where they are," a senior official, who took part in creating the
guidelines, said.
"But we don't by any means have any intention to consider a preemptive strike on
North Korean bases when there is no clear evidence of an imminent attack," the
official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to
reveal his identity to the public.
The reform plan, which estimated about 599.3 trillion won (US$466 billion) will
be needed to meet the goals, said North Korea's special forces and its long-range
artillery deployed along the border represented the other areas where the South
remained under-strength.
"A fierce and large-scale engagement between ground troops is inevitable upon the
start of a war," the document said, noting that U.S. and South Korean air forces
would have difficulties navigating the rugged topography to provide close air
support in war.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops and about 80 non-rotational fighter aircraft stationed
here as a deterrent against North Korea.
The reform plan stipulated that the number of South Korean troops will be reduced
from 655,000 to 517,000 by 2020.
"The reform is based on a plan that seeks not to reduce troops but to streamline
the army and enable it to dominate the battlefield," Defense Minister Lee said.
The number of army divisions will be reduced from 47 to 28 as part of the
streamlining push, according to the reform plan, which suggests that South Korea
should increase its naval missile interceptors.
Refurbishment of defense facilities against electromagnetic pulses emitted from a
nuclear explosion is also one of the reforms the document proposed. The pulses,
weapons experts say, can paralyze defense systems outside the range of a blast.
The reform plan also calls for the establishment of an independent cyber warfare
command by 2012 to deal with the increasing threat of North Korean hacking into
its defense networks.
According to South Korean defense officials, North Korea operates a cyber warfare
unit that specializes in hacking South Korean and U.S. military networks.
Reform 2020 also mandated the creation of a 3,000-strong military unit that can
readily be deployed to assist peacekeeping operations around the world.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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