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http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=24735

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

With troops' deployment to Iraq, South Korea ups threat level, bolsters security

By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, October 6, 2004

SEOUL — Security concerns sparked by the deployment of South Korean troops to Iraq increased Monday, with both South Korean and U.S. military and government agencies at heightened states of alert.

The South Korean military and national police ramped up their terrorism alert levels, deploying armored vehicles and special anti-terror teams to guard possible targets such as the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and Incheon International Airport.

Higher force protection levels at installations and a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew imposed Sept. 24 remained in effect, U.S. officials said Monday. The curfew applies to all U.S. servicemembers, dependants, Department of Defense civilians and most contractors. . . .

U.S. Embassy officials in Seoul also issued a strongly-worded warning Sept. 24, citing “indications” that al-Qaida and other terror groups “continue to prepare to strike U.S. interests,” including through suicide operations, bombings or kidnappings.

South Korean officials increased their terror alert levels Sunday and Monday after a tape attributed to al-Qaida’s reputed second-in-command surfaced Friday, naming South Korea as a target along with other allies of the United States in Iraq.

On Monday, Korean officials confirmed heightened immigration screenings at airports and increased scrutiny of a government list of about 4,000 suspected terrorists. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will conduct bomb sweeps at major airports and subway stations and has warned tenants of specific buildings — including embassies, official residences and other “potential targets” — to increase their security measures.

More than 5,300 additional police were deployed at almost 250 potential targets, including the National Assembly building and government office complexes.

South Korean military bases both on the peninsula and abroad also increased their alert status, officials said. An emergency meeting of the South Korean National Security Council and 20 other government agencies was to have taken place Monday, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade official.

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http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20041005/301100000020041005184640E7.html

China May Send 400,000 Troops in Case of War on Korean Peninsula

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) -- China would send about 400,000 troops to fight alongside North Korea in the event of a war breaking out on the Korean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

In line with a 1961 defense treaty with North Korea, China is expected to dispatch a "limited" number of troops to help its communist ally fight a war, said South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Jong-hwan during a parliamentary audit on his office.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2004/10/06/200410060005.asp

Dispute over N. Korea military briefly halts Assembly audit

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In Monday's inspection, he said,"In the event the South Korea-U.S. alliance deteriorates to the extent that the South Korean military alone has to guard against an enemy attack, the defensive lines of the capital Seoul would collapse within 15 days."

"That means the loss of the Seoul metropolitan area," Park said.

"According to the report, if all the enemy's long-range artillery pieces are fired, 25,000 shells per hour would rain down and destroy one third of Seoul within one hour," Park said.

North Korea is believed to have positioned most of its 10,000 artillery pieces of varying calibers along the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Some of the North Korea artillery is capable of striking the northern parts of Seoul, which is only 50 kilometers from the DMZ.

According to a recent government report, South Korea's military capability was found to be weaker than that of North Korea, even if the communist state's nuclear and biological weapons were not included.

The South Korean Army and Navy's strengths were calculated to be 80 percent and 90 percent of those of the North, while its Air Force capability was 103 percent of the North's, according to a study released late August by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200410/04/200410042230082839900090209021.html

Octorber 5, 2004 KST 22:14 (GMT+9)

Plan to cope with fall of North divulged

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An opposition lawmaker disclosed details yesterday of South Korean plans for coping with the possible collapse of the North Korean regime and for handling a mass defection from the communist state, including a contingency for dealing with insurrection.

The plans, revealed by Grand National Party Representative Chung Moon-hun at a National Assembly hearing, are the first significant look at the government's readiness in case the leaders in Pyeongyang lose control over their country and the South is forced to step in.

Mr. Chung's office said the details have been kept classified, but the Unification Ministry, seeking to assure the public, provided selective details. Under the plan, code-named "Chungmu 9000," South Korea will establish an emergency administrative headquarters in the North, which will work to liberalize the economy and society. South Korea's unification minister will head the agency with powers greater than a governor.

Unification Ministry staff will be deployed to operate the organization, and officials from other ministries will follow to take systemic authority in the North.

Another plan, called "Chungmu 3300," details Seoul's preparation for any mass defection and includes contingencies for a possible civil war.