N. Korean Underground Tunnels, Impregnable Fortresses against Nuclear Attack(Russians involved)

Segye Ilbo ^ | 07/04/05 | Chang In-soo

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my translation

N. Korean Underground Tunnels, Impregnable Fortresses against Nuclear Attack

Eludes U.S. spy satellites by painting radar-absorbing materials(on the entrance)
Enough food to last for 3 years -- even equipped with oxygen generators 

We set up the new section called 'N. Korean File' to provide you with vivid picture of N. Korean society. (Articles in) this section would be based on internal documents from N. Korea or testimony from N. Korean defectors. As its first article, we investigate underground tunnels in N. Korea, based on content from monthly magazine 'N. Korea.' 

It is first revealed in S. Korea that N. Korea kept U.S. spy satellites from tracking locations of their underground tunnels by analyzing Russian satellite photographs. It is also confirmed that their underground tunnels are designed to withstand nuclear attacks 

The July issue of a monthly magazine 'N. Korea,' published by N. Korea Institute (executive director: Kim Chang-soon,) reported 'the Status of N. Korean underground tunnels in cities and counties,' based on the testimony of a N. Korean defector, Mr. Kang(age:56.)

According to its report, upon N. Korean request, Russia had taken the satellite pictures of N. Korean underground tunnels, and provide N. Koreans with the pictures. N. Korean General Staffs analyzed them. Upon finding any underground tunnels exposed to the satellite surveillance, they immediately alerted those in charge of the exposed tunnels via telex, asking them to repaint radar-absorbing materials on underground tunnels' entrance door. This way, they have been eluding the detection by U.S. spy satellites. Mr. Kang said, "Guards at underground tunnels spent the largest amount of time in painting such material." This underground tunnel is for wartime command post, which can command and control the entire population of a city, and is safe from nuclear attack. 

5 meter in front of the door to command tunnel in City H. of N. Ham-kyong Province, they made an artificial hill of 1,500 cubic meters. Upon enemy's nuclear or chemical attack, an alert bell would be sounded. Then a commander, with mere push of a button, can detonate explosives buried inside the hill. After the explosion, the entrance to the tunnel would be completely covered with dirts, and oxygen generators inside the tunnel start to operate, which allow people inside to survive for three months. 

No. 1 tunnel is for storing items of personality cults, such as statues and portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. It is connected to the command tunnel, and designed to last indefinitely. N. Korean underground tunnels are divided into categories such as storage of strategic reserve materials, wartime production of military supplies, civilian evacuation. They can prosecute their war using underground tunnels only. No.2 tunnels are for storing (wartime) food supply to last for years. It is said that, even during the peak of famine in mid-90's, no food supply was released to public. Occasionally soldiers try to steal from it, but they are shot on sight.

Types of Underground Tunnels               source: July issue of 'N. Korea'

Type	When to use	purpose and maintenance responsibility	survival duration
Command Tunnel	wartime	wartime command, control, and communication for milita, youth guards, reserve units Civil Defense Dept. of a local Party Committe	3 months
No.1 Tunnel	wartime	statues of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-sook, and the storage of No. 1 materials Civil Defense Dept. of a local Party Committe	permanent
No. 66 Tunnel (civilian evacuation)	wartime	the evacuation of whole population upon air raid alert Security Section of City Police	3 years
No. 2 Storage (food storage)	peacetime, wartime	storage of wartime food No. 2 Management Office(directly under a Party Secretary-in-Charge)	3 years
No.4 Material Tunnel	peacetime, wartime	wartime construction materials province, city, and county	3 years
Fuel Oil Tunnel (diesel, gasoline)	wartime	storage for wartime fuel fuel oil depot for military units, provinces, cities, and counties, or General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization	5 years
Munition Tunnel	peacetime, wartime	munition storage General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization, Security Section of province, city, and county police	3 years
Strategic Reserve Material Tunnel	wartime	storage of strategic reserve materials General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization	3 years
Factory Relocation Tunnel	wartime	wartime production of military supplies military supply factories and businesses	3 years

upper middle: a mountain

lower half:

far left (checkered box): buried explosives inside an artificial hill --
       to be detonated for sealing the tunnel entrance.

next to the right: entrance door --
        painted with radio-wave absorbing materials
        (evades radar detection like a stealth fighter)

right: lower tunnel  -- 20 chambers inside

        upper tunnel -- No. 1 Tunnel

 

 

Equipments for Maintaining Command Tunnel

Name	Use	Country of Origin
generator	lighting, heating	Japan, Russia, China
fan	humidity control	Russia, China, N. Korea
oxygen genrator	oxygen for sealed tunnel	Russia, China
ultraviolet light	lighting	Russia, N. Korea
detonator for sealing tunnel entrance	upon nuclear and chemical alert
stealth entrance	absorbing radio-wave from radars
telex and fiber optic communication equipment	wartime communication	Western countries
food, medicine, bedding, and fuel

Chang In-soo

2005.07.04 (Mon.) 19:59

/end my translation

[TigerLikesRooster]

Some accounts from this article may seem exaggerated. After all, the defector could have been told from others about how well tunnels would withstand WMD attacks or how they fare under completely sealed environment. He may not have expert knowledge to judge such claims. I think he gave what he knew or was told while in N. Korea. Still, he gave very useful account of how tunnels are made. It is quite intriguing to hear that Russia has been helping out N. Korea's efforts to conceal tunnels from U.S. satellite detection. As more time pass by, we find more Russian shenanigans to surreptitiously help N. Korea to undermine its rivals(or enemies.) This is really bad. This also means that Russia may have a pretty good idea of where many important underground tunnels are located. I am not sure that they will turn over such information to U.S. or its allies.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Our intelligence services should be active in Moscow then, finding out exactly where each of these are, all ingress and egress points.

When the big fight comes, each of these cuold be effectively sealed with explosive ordinance and then further sealed with thick concrete, and communications in and out of said bunkers disrupted by constant radio wave interference. If they want to sit underground for three years, doing nothing, living on limited rations and air, and then slowly starving to death after that, fine. We could in fact put funeral tablet stones at the entrance of each of these caves when we seal them, and state in one of them, lies the Great Leader himself. As the country above ground busily remakes itself into a democracy and readies for unification with the South.

[RockinRight]

So then we just have to nuke them into oblivion without warning...

[angkor]

With all that world-class North Korean and Russian engineering, the tunnels will be decaying within 5 years or less.

[Jet Jaguar]

Fascinating.

Thanks for the the ping.

[JZelle]

"If they want to sit underground for three years, doing nothing, living on limited rations and air, and then slowly starving to death after that, fine."

Aren't they already living like this, only above ground?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Tunnels in N. Korea, with Russia's help.

Thanks to Tiger for this information.

[LRS]

...." This underground tunnel is for wartime command post, which can command and control the entire population of a city, and is safe from nuclear attack.

A population of ghosts?

5 meter in front of the door to command tunnel in City H. of N. Ham-kyong Province, they made an artificial hill of 1,500 cubic meters. Upon enemy's nuclear or chemical attack, an alert bell would be sounded. Then a commander, with mere push of a button, can detonate explosives buried inside the hill. After the explosion, the entrance to the tunnel would be completely covered with dirts,...

...and save us the trouble ...

[LRS]

No. 1 tunnel is for storing items of personality cults, such as statues and portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

I don't doubt such insanity on their part!

[Finalapproach29er]

Neutron bomb, perhaps?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #10

To them, they are holy objects. They will be all destroyed once Kim's regime falls, though.

[Thermalseeker]

"If they want to sit underground for three years, doing nothing, living on limited rations and air, and then slowly starving to death after that, fine."

Aren't they already living like this, only above ground?

From what I've read their population is already starving to death. The government has put out propoganda films in which they claim that grass is a food staple. The average size of a North Korean soldier has significantly diminished over the past couple of decades due to malnutrition. Except for their nukes, these folks could never, ever sustain themselves in a prolonged battle. They have to know that a nuke strike against the USA or any of it's allies means the whole of their country being turned into a smoking hole in the ground.

[Little Ray]

I doubt these accounts are exaggerated. The North Koreans have been tunneling like moles for over 50 years.

[LRS]

To them, they are holy objects. They will be all destroyed once Kim's regime falls, though.

The fate of ego maniacs...

[HIDEK6]

I don't see the problem here.

Let's say we're going to nuke 'em, then let them seal themselves in the caves.

When they pop their heads out, fly a squadron of B-52s overhead and let them duck into the tunnels again.

Keep 'em there for about 50 years.

[Calpernia]

bump

ping

[COBOL2Java]

The North Koreans have been tunneling like moles for over 50 years.

Maybe with some help from this guy...

[COBOL2Java]

When they pop their heads out, fly a squadron of B-52s overhead and let them duck into the tunnels again.

Gives new meaning to "Whack a Mole"...

[theFIRMbss]

>Enough food to last for 3 years

So, three years later,
they come out alive, and, what?
Trinitite markets?