hankyoreh

During a meeting with foreign affairs and security ministers on May 12, President Park Geun-hye described the threat posed by North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) as a “serious challenge” and called for the development of countermeasures.

The South Korean military authorities are reportedly reviewing an operational plan to monitor and track North Korea’s missile-carrying submarines at all times, both in peacetime and during a crisis.

“We have been using simulations and other methods to assess the threat of North Korea‘s submarine-launched ballistic missiles since the initial phase of their development. We are reviewing operational plans including a ’targeted strike plan‘ that would treat missile-carrying Sinpo-class submarines as its key targets if North Korea deploys them in the future,” a South Korean military officer told reporters on May 12.

The operational plan that the military authorities are reviewing would reportedly cover all stages from monitoring North Korea’s missile-carrying submarines during normal times, tracking them when they are sent on a mission during a crisis, locating their position, and destroying them.

A number of military officials indicated that the submarine base where the Sinpo-class submarines dock is under constant surveillance by early warning satellites that the US operates through the Defense Support Program (DSP). Since the six satellites that are part of this program are geostationary, they can provide 24-hour surveillance.

“We are also planning to deploy five spy satellites with a resolution of 0.3 to 0.5 meters between 2020 and 2022,” a military officer said.

As soon as a North Korean Sinpo-class submarine departs from its base, South Korean Aegis destroyers will move into action. The 7,600-ton Aegis destroyers, which are outfitted with the high-performance AN/SPY-1 radar and sonar, bristle with depth charges, torpedoes, and Hong Sang Eo, or “red shark,” anti-submarine missiles (ASROC), which can sink a submarine at a range of 20 kilometers in the event of a crisis.

The South Korean military currently has three Aegis destroyers and is planning to launch three more by 2027.

In the sky, P-3C surveillance aircraft and Lynx helicopters join the hunt for the submarine. South Korea has 16 P-3Cs, which are equipped with detection radar, sonobuoys, and magnetic anomaly detectors (MAD).

The navy is also planning to add 20 more next-generation maritime operational helicopters. By next year, it will purchase eight AW159 Wildcats, which are produced in the UK. It is still deciding whether or not to develop the remaining 12 at home or abroad.

Military authorities are also reportedly considering the option of tracking the movement of submarines during a crisis from the moment they leave the base and then carrying out a strike at the crucial moment. The task of shadowing North Korean subs is entrusted to the South Korean navy’s submarines, which are equipped with sonar and torpedoes.

Currently, the South Korean navy has 13 submarines, including nine from the 209-class (1,200-ton) and four from the 214-class (1,800-ton). By 2019, it is planning to increase the number of 214-class submarines to nine while deploying nine 3,000-ton submarines equipped with vertical launch pads by 2027.

“Submarines have set routes, too. By detecting signs of their movement, we can block their path. Our military is capable of that,” a military officer said.

If a North Korean submarine manages to penetrate the detection network and launch a missile, the US early warning satellites, which monitor heat emissions, would detect this within 50 seconds. The AN/SPY-1 radar on the Aegis destroyers and the green pine radar on the ground would identity and track the missile simultaneously. At this point, Patriot missiles and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM), which are linked with these intelligence assets, would be launched to intercept the North Korean missile.

During the meeting with her security ministers on Tuesday, President Park referred to North Korea’s missile ejection test as a “severe challenge hindering stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in East Asia.”

“By supplementing the kill chain and the South Korean missile defense system, we will be more than able to respond to this threat,” Park added, urging the ministers to do their best to prepare countermeasures.

Park also responded to recent threats by North Korea about the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West (Yellow) Sea, ordering her ministers to “retaliate firmly if North Korea makes a provocation.”

In regard to the issue of wages at the Kaesong Complex, Park said, “While maintaining our principles in regard to North Korea‘s wrong behavior, we need to work on resolving this issue through deliberations with North Korean officials.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Choi Yun-hee and US Forces Korea Commander Curtis Scaparrotti also met on Tuesday to discuss ways to respond jointly to the SLBM threat posed by North Korea, an official from the Joint Chiefs announced.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer and Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]