The Scientific Border Security System
“Mr. CEO. Did the evaluation for the Korean-style goalkeeper test finish successfully today?”
“Thanks to the hard work of the Starlink Defense staff, we successfully intercepted all three ship-to-ship missiles.”
“As expected of you, President Park. You insisted on using three missiles instead of the planned two just to make an impact... and you ended up succeeding.”
“But what brings you here? Did something happen?”
“Hahaha. No, not at all. The assembly of the next-generation aircraft and the Royal Wingman should be completed in two weeks. We were originally planning to hold a rollout ceremony, but since this is an aircraft developed entirely by Starlink, I called to ask for your thoughts.”
“Isn't that a ceremony we must hold to pray for the accident-free operation of the aircraft? We should hold a grand event.”
“Then, may I invite the Minister of National Defense and VIPs from related ministries?”
“Why not invite citizens interested in aviation as well, beyond just government officials?”
“Hahaha. Understood. I will prepare an event that can be the best of its kind.”
“For now, let’s proceed with the rollout ceremony for the next-generation aircraft. As for the Royal Wingman, I will decide whether to hold a simultaneous rollout or keep it under wraps after assessing the situation.”
Starlink Aerospace had been pouring all the profits generated from T-50 series exports and civilian aircraft assembly into the development of this next-generation aircraft, which had led to significant complaints among the staff.
“How are the employees? Are there any complaints about the lack of incentives due to the continuous reinvestment of profits?”
“There is some agitation, but everyone is making concessions, motivated by the plan to move the research center to Gyeonggi-do and the belief that we are investing in the future.”
“Let’s go with a plan to pay a 300% incentive at the end of this year. I will ensure that not only Starlink Aerospace but all other subsidiaries pay incentives based on the same standard.”
“Mr. CEO. I know that massive costs are going into the construction of the launch vehicle test site and the research center site. Will that be alright?”
“We have to commit to it first. If we don’t have the money, we’ll have to make it to pay them.”
“Hahaha. We have wage negotiations with the union next week, and they will be very pleased. I will report to you separately after establishing the rollout ceremony plan.”
After ending the call with President Jo Yun-je, Taesik closed his eyes while listening to the news playing in the car and asked the driver to turn up the volume.
The radio news repeatedly reported that the soldiers who were pursuing the defecting North Korean soldier had disappeared after firing shots, and the Ministry of National Defense reported that the unconscious soldier was being transported to a university hospital.
Taesik, who had been resting his eyes, opened them at the sound of his phone ringing just as they arrived in Seoul. It was a call from Section Chief Choi Jae-ho of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), so he answered without hesitation.
“CEO Kim! This is Choi Jae-ho from the NIS.”
“Section Chief Choi, what brings you to call?”
“Have you seen the news?”
“Are you talking about the shooting of the North Korean defector?”
“Yes. We are currently treating the defector at Ajou University Hospital after transporting him via the medical evacuation helicopter supplied by Starlink. I called because I have an urgent request regarding this incident.”
“Yes? I don’t think Starlink can be of much help regarding this defection incident...”
“Actually, the soldier who defected from North Korea entered Panmunjom in a jeep, and the Ministry of National Defense’s situational judgment was delayed because the report from the guards was slow. Although we captured the approaching jeep on CCTV, we haven’t been able to release the footage because the initial response was insufficient due to the lack of an alarm system.”
“And so...?”
“We understand that Starlink has already developed facial recognition and target tracking technology. The Ministry of National Defense is planning to launch a scientific border security system project as a preventive measure for this incident, and I called to ask for Starlink’s participation.”
“Isn’t that a project that has already been implemented? I thought the Misung Group was handling it...”
“To be honest, the scientific border security system installed by the Misung Group relies on soldiers manually judging whether an enemy has intruded using CCTV. The current system is problematic because the false alarm rate is too high.”
“Hmm... It’s difficult to give an answer right away, and since I’ve almost arrived in Seoul, I’d like to look at it directly at Starlink and talk. It seems President Cha Young-jin of Deepmind will have to make the decision.”
“Understood. Then I will go to Starlink immediately.”
After hanging up, Taesik immediately called President Cha Young-jin to convey the appointment with the NIS and arranged to meet at Starlink Communication. Fully awake from the phone call, Taesik stretched and listened to the radio news again. The radio was continuously reporting on the shooting at Panmunjom.
[A shooting incident occurred, and it is said that the Panmunjom Security Battalion Commander personally crawled into the area to find the wounded North Korean defector, finding him after 16 minutes. Aren’t our soldiers amazing? To think that a commander bravely entered the line of fire to rescue a North Korean soldier...]
A military expert appearing as a panelist sneered at the announcer’s comment.
[My thoughts are different. A shooting occurred at Panmunjom, and it makes no sense that it took 16 minutes to find the defector’s tracks. I don’t know the details as the CCTV hasn’t been released, but according to the Ministry of National Defense briefing, the commander personally crawled into the area inside our MDL (Military Demarcation Line) to rescue the soldier. Failing to locate the defector for 16 minutes is a failure of security. There are guards and CCTV installed at Panmunjom; how could they not find the location for 16 minutes?]
[One might think the failure of security is one thing, but isn’t the commander who personally crawled in amazing?]
[The commander’s personal rescue of the North Korean soldier was a courageous act. However, a commander in charge of command should be managing the situation, not moving personally. If he had been shot, who would have been in charge of the field command at Panmunjom? And what is this talk of crawling in a situation where gunfire is being exchanged?]
[Shouldn’t one naturally crawl when gunfire is being exchanged?]
[The North Korean side likely deployed many soldiers around Panmunjom, but I believe it is correct to enter the field in a crouched posture as taught in the Army manual, like soldiers on our own land. Crawling might have a good image due to the influence of war movies, but at short distances like Panmunjom, it can actually be more vulnerable to aimed fire. I believe this Panmunjom shooting incident reveals the problems of our military.]
The news was focusing on the Panmunjom incident, with self-proclaimed military experts arguing their opinions, and Taesik’s vehicle arrived at Starlink Communication. As he got out of the car, Section Chief Choi Jae-ho of the NIS was also getting out of his car, having just arrived. The two exchanged brief greetings and moved to Taesik’s office.
Taesik and Section Chief Choi took a breath while drinking cold water brought by Miso instead of coffee, and President Cha Young-jin looked at Section Chief Choi with curious eyes, wondering what the NIS would demand regarding the scientific border security system.
“Whew! Drinking a glass of cold water makes me feel calmer. Both the Ministry of National Defense and the NIS are in a state of emergency because of the defecting North Korean soldier.”
Before getting to the main point, Taesik asked:
“Has the identity verification of the North Korean soldier been completed?”
“He is a junior sergeant, and the reason for his defection was quite absurd. He was caught by the Security Department while watching South Korean dramas, and after being investigated recently, he felt threatened and defected. It’s HUMINT intelligence, but to think that watching a drama would lead to a defection...”
“I heard on the news earlier that the defector was transported to a university hospital via the medical evacuation helicopter supplied by Starlink Aerospace...”
“By now, the footage should have been released. We are working to shift media attention from Panmunjom to the defector himself.”
Seeing that Section Chief Choi had caught his breath, Taesik asked to confirm the NIS’s requirements.
“The scientific border security system was already handled by the Misung Group, and the construction is finished, isn’t it? Are you thinking of additional construction?”
“Short-range and mid-range cameras were installed, but camera malfunctions are a given, and the object recognition alarms are malfunctioning. Could Starlink take charge of just the S/W part? We want to install the same system for NIS CCTV as well.”
At Section Chief Choi’s words, President Cha Young-jin replied:
“Then we would need to install object recognition S/W for the outdoor cameras. To what level does the currently installed S/W recognize?”
“Currently, it gives an alarm when there is movement in front of the camera, but it is impossible to grasp what the object is. And it keeps giving false alarms when there is a slight breeze. The S/W installed at the NIS is the same, so this is accurate.”
“For object recognition S/W at Panmunjom and the DMZ, there wouldn’t be many categories. If it’s just cars, tanks, armored vehicles, people, and animals, we could just upgrade the existing S/W a little. The problem is that while photos of South Korean military vehicles, tanks, and armored vehicles can be found on the internet, North Korean ones cannot.”
“The NIS can sufficiently support you with that much.”
“Is it necessary to be able to distinguish whether a person is a friendly or enemy soldier?”
“Is that also possible?”
“Of course. If you send us photos of the types of South Korean military uniforms and gear, we can treat everything else as North Korean soldiers, making identification possible.”
“We need to announce improvement measures within a few days; how long will S/W development take?”
“Well, if we have the photos needed for data processing, it’s possible in a day or two. But verification will take a long time.”
“What do you mean by verification...?”
“Actually, cars or tanks are large objects, so there isn’t a big problem, but for people, it takes time because we have to classify them by uniform and evaluate accuracy. Can you also input photos of soldiers at Panmunjom and the DMZ?”
“Why is that...?”
“I’d have to see the camera resolution, but if we input photos of South Korean soldiers, we can identify whether they are friendly or enemy soldiers more accurately, even if North Korean soldiers are wearing South Korean uniforms.”
“I’ve seen many such functions in access control systems, but is it at a level possible with CCTV?”
“Since we have the technology for data processing, it is possible. Instead, you will have to upgrade the specifications of the main computer.”
“That goes without saying. Can you install the same program at the NIS as well?”
“There’s no problem with that.”
“Could you hand over Starlink’s source technology for the S/W to the NIS this time?”
At Section Chief Choi’s request, President Cha Young-jin looked at Taesik, and Taesik said:
“That is not possible. The ripple effect is too large, and there is a possibility of problems if the NIS misuses it. We will supply a program that automatically deletes the S/W if it is accessed. I ask that the NIS does not have other intentions.”
At Taesik’s request, Section Chief Choi answered immediately.
“Just helping us with this matter is a great help. I will be careful so that such a thing does not happen.”
Despite Section Chief Choi’s firm answer, it was clear that the NIS would analyze Starlink’s S/W, so Taesik decided to devise security measures separately with President Cha Young-jin.