S. Korea, U.S. to locate N.K. artillery in 'split second' if attacked: official

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States would be able to
pinpoint the location of North Korean artillery outposts in a "split second" if
the communist state launched an attack by firing shells off its west coast, a
senior South Korean defense official said Tuesday.

But retaliation may prove to be trickier than expected as the allies could still
miss their targets or hit unintended ones, triggering a wider conflict, the
official said, declining to be identified because the information is classified.
"We have radars that can detect the location of artillery guns as soon as shells
fired from them travel 10 meters," the official said. "But there is still a risk
of misreading targets and hitting facilities in nearby areas, which could
escalate the conflict."
South Korea fears any battle with North Korea could develop into a full-out war
because the communist state has the ability to wreak havoc on Seoul with its
artillery positioned along the Demilitarized Zone.
The two countries, which fought the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce,
have been building up their military arms along their western sea border this
year.
North Korea, which lost dozens of soldiers in naval battles with South Korea in
1999 and 2002, claims the border should be drawn further south, threatening a
conflict there and abrogating the truce.
North Korea also appears to be preparing to test-fire its longest-range ballistic
missile on the west coast after going ahead with its second nuclear test in the
east on May 25.
The country conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.
According to sources here, North Korea has stepped up training exercises near the
western sea border this year as ties with South Korea have unraveled due to
Seoul's hardline approach on the North's nuclear program.
"North Korea has increased exercises using high-speed amphibious boats," a source
said Monday. "We cannot rule out the possibility that North Korea may try to raid
one of our islands."
Another South Korean source said that joint training by North Korea's naval and
air forces increased at a live-fire shooting range on Chodo island just over 50
kilometers north of the sea border.
Intelligence officials in Seoul said North Korea is prohibiting vessels from
navigating in the mid and upper parts of the Yellow Sea.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the
North.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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