[Yonhap Photo]
Special forces of the North Korean Army conducted drills for several days in mid-September to infiltrate the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Seoul by paraglider, defense officials said.
A paraglider is easy to operate, with its equipment weighing a mere 3 to 4 kilograms. North Korean special forces could carry their folded paragliders on their backs and paraglide from a summit to seize a target in a surprise attack. It is the first time members of North Korean special forces have carried out paragliding infiltration drills aimed at the allies' command post.
According to the officials, North Korean paragliding soldiers participated in the drills at a training ground that has a model building of the Combined Forces Command. The drills using paragliders involved several teams of special forces from the North's Army, Navy and Air Force, they said.
A defense source expressed the worry that the South Korean Army's radar would hardly detect a nighttime airborne attack by North Korean paragliding soldiers, saying, "A paraglider flies at a low altitude without making a sound. It could be useful for making a surprise attack, like a drone."
The source continued, "I believe that North Korean special forces are adopting amazing methods of infiltration with limited resources."
(Yonhap)
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
