Lawmaker Kim Byung-kee raised concerns at the Sept. 29 National Assembly defense committee, urging equipment upgrades; Defense Ministry national audit Wednesday also flagged flawed performance tests; questions mount over 58 billion won mass-production program

At the Defense Ministry's national audit Wednesday, questions arose over the adequacy of performance testing for the PRS-20K, a new mine detector. Lawmaker Song Yeong-gil presented operational test data from Hanwha Systems and pressed Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol, saying the equipment appeared not to have undergone proper performance testing and asking whether the PRS had been designed only for flat terrain.

The PRS-20K had already drawn scrutiny at the National Assembly's defense committee on Sept. 29. Remarks by lawmaker Kim Byung-kee drew particular attention. "The thought crossed my mind — they're going in to detect mines with that equipment? That means risking their lives," Kim said.

What prompted Kim's concern?

A mine explosion occurred in the Demilitarized Zone on the western front on Sept. 21. The military confirmed Monday that the blast was caused by a North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine, and on the same day carried out an operation to destroy and remove North Korean mines found south of the Military Demarcation Line.

Mine-clearing operations do not end with detonating suspected locations using explosives. After the blast, personnel must re-enter the scene to verify that mines have been fully removed and to check whether any remain.

The equipment used for that task is the PRS-20K mine detector.

Developed with domestic technology, the device can detect even non-metallic mines. However, the PRS-20K was used during the recent incident and still failed to locate the North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine. The military believes one contributing factor was dense vegetation that prevented operators from bringing the detector within 3 centimeters of the ground. The episode has prompted calls in the National Assembly for better equipment to protect troops, even at greater cost.

Someone will still have to enter these danger zones going forward — and those people are ultimately South Korean soldiers. The hope is that no further casualties will occur in the mine-clearing operations ahead.


ryul@heraldcorp.com