In this undated photo, provided by the Army on Feb. 5, 2021, a service member uses a metal detector to find land mines in a practice education.
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s military is exploring ways to prevent accidents in Han River estuary areas caused by land mines floated from North Korea, or the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) plans to detect the areas of concern with high potential to be reached by floating land mines by carrying out a scientific study on the impact of river currents, terrain, and weather on the movement and sedimentation of floating objects in the Han River estuary areas, a military source said.
Thus far, the military has frequently conducted search operations to prevent land mines lost in North Korea or the DMZ from floating into riverside patrol roads or quays in the Han River estuary areas.
However, it has been difficult to figure out where land mines float due to a lack of case studies or statistics concerning the speed and characteristics of river currents in the Han River estuary areas.
The JCS decided to carry out the study based on the consideration that there was a lack of scientific effort in the selection of search areas and search operations.
The JCS plans to deviate from the current practice of relying on the experience of military search units.
Instead, it will improve the efficiency and accuracy in the selection of search areas by analyzing changes in the water level of the Han River, the direction and speed of river currents, and the impact of underwater structures.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
