Military to improve border security system following N. Korean's unhindered crossing

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The military will take steps to improve the border security system after a North Korean man crossed the heavily guarded border into the South unhindered last week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday.

The man, whose identity was withheld, was captured Wednesday, 14 hours after he crossed the border in a suspected defection attempt. The military came under heavy fire in the wake of the security failure.

JCS spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak said during a press briefing Tuesday that the military will carry out a detailed assessment of the border security system, "including blind spots in our monitoring system, ... in a follow-up step to improve the completeness in our security operations."

The measures are expected to be focused on enhancing the military's scientific security measures, following revelations that sensors installed at the barbed wire fences did not ring when the North Korean man climbed over, raising doubts about their effectiveness.

The man was found around 1.5 kilometers south of the fences. The military said he appears to be a civilian and has expressed an intent to flee to the South.

Defense Minister Suh Wook said Monday he does not consider the incident to be another failure in the military's border security operations, though he said there are some points to be supplemented.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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