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

[2001convSVT]

I don't see how painting radar absorbing material at the entrance of the tunnel is going to stop an analysts with satellite photos and a magnifying glass from spotting the entrance?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #21

I guess they are counting on their camouflage skills. I don't know if such confidence is warranted.:-)

[Chameleon]

They don't have enough food to feed their population now...How can they have 3 years worth of reserves in tunnels? I call BS.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #23

They will hoard food for military supply even if millions die. They always set aside military supplies. It is their priority one. Don't you know "Military First Policy" of N. Korea?

[Calpernia]

ping

[jb6]

telex and fiber optic communication equipment -- Western Countries
generators -- Japan
Why not mention those in your title too?

[massgopguy]

They're already in oblivion. Nuking them would be an improvement. It looks like it might also increase their lifespan.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Thanks for the article TigerLikesRooster. You're my eye on NK and I value all that you post. Many have forgotten that they are part of the war on terror. Not here at FR, though.

This underground bunker mentality is 50 years out of date. Obviously, they don't have sufficient weapons to destroy the US. I don't think they have enough to destroy SK. If a war starts, NK will fall and be occupied by SK. The bunkers will be irrelevant.

I am amused that they effectively hid the tunnels from satellites and yet they were revealed through human intelligence. That is always the key to security--loyal people. Who can be loyal to a megalomaniacal murderer? Only some, at best, through lies. Once the lies are unveiled, the murderer falls.

[RockinRight]

Just like the Saddam statues in Iraq...

[RockinRight]

If we were to attack NK, would anything really stop us from finding and entering these bunkers??

[JudgemAll]

Thanks for the translation.

Any idea how many of these the Russians have for themselves?

[JudgemAll]

If we were to attack NK, would anything really stop us from finding and entering these bunkers?? It mostly is a death trap for them. That said, the stealth factor is their main defense. It's been difficult to detect underground ammo dumps in Iraq. Some were stacked above each other, unknowingly (they blew up after the upper layer blew up). Once discovered, however, they are death traps.

[Brujo]

telex and fiber optic communication equipment -- Western Countries
generators -- Japan

Why not mention those in your title too?

I think the "Russians involved" meant the use of Russian satellite photos to help with the concealment.

[quantfive]

"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."

Exactly. And the thought of this puts a big smile on my face. I am tired of the petty dictators mass murdering and starving people to death in my lifetime. Perhaps I am a dreamer, but I think the reign of Christ will not include these kinds of people.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #31

No idea.

[Rakkasan1]

to repaint radar-absorbing materials on underground tunnels' entrance door. This way, they have been eluding the detection by U.S. spy satellites."

What does radar absorbing material have to do with spy satellites?

[NCC-1701]

"...If we were to attack NK, would anything really stop us from finding and entering these bunkers??..."

The final scene of "The Dirty Dozen" comes to mind. If it ever happens that they do seal themselves in and we find them there, why not pour some high explosives down the spouts? We'd have the rats in the trap and would be there for their destruction. It could happen.

[RightWhale]

This wouldn't be related to the exploding mountain a few months ago, would it?

[Squantos]

Kims universe is kind of like a safe to which there is a combination -- but his combination is locked up in that safe where he can't even get to it......

[adam_az]

"They will be all destroyed once Kim's regime falls, though."

Heck, they should Ebay the suckers and jumpstart their economy!