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The DMZ War

History & Heroes Of the Korean DMZ: 1953 to Today

DMZ Tech & Robots

Technology in the Korean DMZ, Now and Then

South Korea Develops Technology to Detect North Korean Infiltrators in DMZ

Picture from NK News

This story may remind American DMZ vets of various detection systems they used. Here’s video of the AN/TPS-25 Ground Surveillance Radar. Share your experiences with detection technology below…

From NK News: “The South Korean military has signed a contract to develop unmanned surveillance sensors aimed at strengthening surveillance capabilities in the DMZ and the surrounding area.

While the development of these sensors would help to ensure the safety of troops stationed near the DMZ, a military expert said that such an effort must be undertaken in parallel with efforts to lower tensions with North Korea.

Hanwha Thales, a domestic defense manufacturer, has signed a 3.6 billion-won ($3.1-million) contract to help in the development of these sensors with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

A DAPA representative told NK News that the sensors will greatly improve South Korea’s capacity to detect North Korean troops attempting to infiltrate and potentially endanger South Korean lives.”

What Works and What Doesn’t

ROK’s Using Microsoft Kinect Game Controller on DMZ?

“The South Korean government is reportedly using Microsoft’s Kinect motion-based game controller to monitor the heavily guarded DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that separates the country from North Korea. The brainchild of freelance South Korean developer Jae Kwan Ko, the system is reportedly capable of differentiating between people and animals.” See the story here.

ROK Government Tested Samsung “Robot” on DMZ Test Started in 2010

More “RWS” (Remotely-Operated Weapons System) than Robot However, System Could Be Programmed to Engage Automatically Anyone Coming from the North

System detects, warns and fires (machine gun and 40mm grenade launcher). See a story on the test here and a profile of the system here.

“The SGR-A1 robot is developed jointly by the Korea University and Samsung Techwin Co. The SGR-A1 has a CCD and an infra-red camera allowing it to detect and track targets at ranges of up to 4Km during the day and 2Km during nighttime. The SGR-A1 robot uses a low-light­camera and pattern recognition software to distinguish humans from animals or other objects.

At one time Samsung claimed on their website that the SRG-A1 ‘has the purpose of protecting the major military base and national strategic site. The system is designed to replace human-oriented guards, overcoming their limitation of discontinuous guarding mission due to its severe weather condition or fatigue, so that the perfect guarding operation is guaranteed.’

‘The Intelligent Surveillance and Guard Robot is unique because it is the first of its kind to have surveillance, tracking, firing and voice-recognition systems built into a single unit,’ the deputy minister said. The robot, which weighs 117 kilograms and stands 1.2 meters high, can also provide suppressive fire with a K-3 light machine gun.

The system uses its voice recognition to identify approaching persons. If the intruder is unable to provide the necessary access code when at a distance of ten meters, the Samsung SGR-A1 can either sound an alarm, fire rubber bullets or make use of its Daewoo K3 5,56mm machine gun.”

Please Contact Us If You Know the Current Status of the Test/Deployment of the SGR and/or Kinect.

producer (at) koreanconfidential.com

“Super aEgis II” Turret System See A Story on It Here

“While the Armistice Agreement of 1953 limits the number of weapons that can be pointed over the 38th parallel by both sides, DoDaam Systems Vice-President Park Sung-ho believes that the SEII could very well find use along the DMZ. ‘We have certain circumstances where North and South Korea are confronting each other and currently soldiers are operating a lot of military equipment.’ Park explained to Reuters. ‘If the job can be replaced by non-human guarding and monitoring robots, it could reduce the number of labour forces and military forces. And it could also reduce human losses under real combat situations.'”

Starlight Scope

The AN/PVS-2 Starlight scope, a “GEN 1” passive night vision device, was used by many teams patrolling the DMZ. According to the declassified Army report below, it produced significant benefits. I Corps report (May-July ’68):

“Observation: Infiltrators have repeatedly been detected by using the starlight scope.

Discussion: Through the use of the starlight scope, night infiltration has been significantly inhibited. Agents have been discovered and engaged in spite of the cover of darkness.

Recommendation: The starlight scope should continue to be used in large quantities in and around the DMZ. Also, additional Starlight scopes should be obtained for use by other units manning phase lines of the counter-infiltration/counter-espionage plan, ‘Big Cliff’. The scope would also be an aid to perimeter defense of any unit, whether combat or support.”

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