Text Fwd: (LEAD) S. Korea to build defenses against nuclear EMP waves by 2014

Yonhap News
2009/07/03 15:07 KST
(LEAD) S. Korea to build defenses against nuclear EMP waves by 2014


By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will spend tens of billions of won by 2014 to protect against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) waves unleashed by a nuclear blast, an official said Friday.

The plan for the construction of anti-EMP facilities was recently inserted into a long-term defense reform plan after North Korea went ahead with a nuclear test in May, Brig. Gen. Jang Gi-yoon said.

"The spending will not top 100 billion won (US$78 million)," Jang said in a briefing, declining to be more specific. "The shelters will be like steel safes."

An EMP is generated from a nuclear explosion and can lead to the shutdown of all electronic equipment, including weapons systems operating within hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, Jang said.

He said he was not authorized to share with reporters how many anti-EMP facilities will be set up, but other officials said major political and military structures, including the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae and command centers, will be assigned a priority.

North Korea has recently warned of nuclear warfare, accusing the U.S. of harboring war plans and orchestrating international sanctions on Pyongyang. North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006 and its second on May 25 this year.

Radars will be upgraded to better detect missile launches, Jang said, while the Ministry of National Defense is pushing to introduce drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), from the United States by 2015 to be able to photograph North Korean bases in detail.

North Korea has fired a barrage of short-range missiles -- a threat more alarming to South Korea than longer-range ones -- off its east coast since its latest atomic test.

South Korean and U.S. defense officials say North Korea is pressing ahead with missile development despite U.N. sanctions that have toughened against it over the years.

The international community refuses to classify North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, urging it to drop its arms programs and return to multilateral disarmament talks.

The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

samkim@yna.co.kr
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