Military to take sweeping sea border security measures

The military plans to deploy an additional naval ship, increase patrol flights by manned and unmanned aircraft and install more radars on and offshore to beef up security of the sea border with North Korea, a Defense Ministry report showed Sunday.

The ministry reported the measures to the National Assembly as part of efforts to close holes in border security following revelations that the military failed to detect a North Korean boat until it traveled all the way to the port of Samcheok, about 130 kilometers away from the eastern sea border, on June 15.

The defense minister has repeatedly apologized over the incident.

According to the ministry report, the military plans to deploy one more large naval ship to areas around the sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line, and increase the number of patrol flights not only by manned planes and helicopters, but also by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Camcopter S-100 is one of the UAVs the military plans to deploy for maritime patrols.

In addition, the military also plans to deploy more radars and upgrade thermal observation devices and other coastal surveillance equipment, according to the report.

Starting in September, the Navy also plans to deploy some 10 “GPS200K” offshore radars until 2025. (Yonhap)