S. Korea hastens effort to eavesdrop on N. Korean missile bases: sources

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is accelerating its effort to bolster
intelligence assets designed to eavesdrop on North Korean missile bases as it
faces a growing threat from rockets developed by the communist neighbor, sources
said Thursday.

The South Korean military currently operates a high-tech intelligence project
aimed at capturing frequencies and electronic signals across North Korea by
floating a plane along their border.
The "Baekdu" project has been in operation since the early 2000s, but its ability
to detect signals generated by missile-related equipment, or "FISINT" (Foreign
Instrument Signal Intelligence), has been limited, a source said.
"The military is pushing to complete the upgrade of FISINT assets earlier than
scheduled, possibly by 2015," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity
because the information is classified.
"The costs and technology required are formidable, but the upgrade will help
bolster South Korea's early warning capabilities," the source said.
The Baekdu project cost about US$200 million when it was introduced from the
United States. South Korea named it after a mountain straddling the border
between China and North Korea to symbolize its ambition to eavesdrop on
communications from the Demilitarized Zone all the way to the northernmost part
of the North.
Another source said the recent firing of missiles by North Korea and its apparent
preparations to test-launch more have prompted South Korea to hasten the upgrade.
Following its second nuclear test on May 25, North Korea fired six short-range
missiles off its east coast. The North also appears to be moving to test-fire a
long-range ballistic missile on its west coast while preparing to launch several
medium-range ones from the east.
"Calls for hastening the improvement of FISINT have risen as North Korea
continues to increase its missile threat," the source said.
"It is also part of an effort to secure an independent ability to conduct
intelligence activities over North Korea as South Korea reclaims its wartime
operation command of its troops from the U.S.," the source said.
The command was given to the U.S. at the onset of the 1950-53 Korean War, which
ended in a truce, and Seoul and Washington have agreed that control will be
returned in 2012.
In a related effort to bolster its intelligence capabilities, the South Korean
military is pushing to acquire its own satellite as early as 2021, according to
the sources.
It also plans to purchase a collection of high-altitude and mid-altitude spy
planes from the United States by 2017, they said.
The unmanned aerial vehicles would strengthen South Korea's ability to obtain
images of North Korean bases north of Pyongyang and Wonsan, both of which are at
least 100 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
South Korea relies heavily on the United States -- which has 28,500 troops
stationed here -- for visual information on remote North Korean areas, its
defense officials say.
North Korea conducted its first atomic test in its northeastern region in October
2006. On April 5 this year, it fired a long-range rocket that it says put a
satellite into space.
South Korea and the U.S. say nothing new entered orbit and that the launch was a
test of ballistic missile technology banned under a U.N. resolution adopted
against North Korea in 2006.
The Baekdu project was behind a high-profile scandal involving top South Korean
defense officials and a Korean-American lobbyist in the 1990s.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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