The AI-Powered Border Defense System
CEO Cha Youngjin, seemingly intrigued by the scientific border defense system, decided against ordering a separate supercomputer. Instead, he purchased over 1,000 boards designed for home-use supercomputers and built two custom units himself. Once assembled, he began training the object-recognition software. After feeding it general internet data followed by the classified information provided by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) regarding military equipment and North Korean soldiers, he contacted Section Chief Choi Jaeho just one week later to announce that the deep learning process was complete.
Surprised by the rapid progress, Section Chief Choi coordinated the installation schedule with the Ministry of National Defense. The supercomputers were installed, dividing the Panmunjom border area into eastern and western sectors. Fortunately, Starlink saved significant time because the Miso Group handled the task of connecting the camera-captured data to the installation sites. The Miso Group, fearing the fallout if the media reported issues with a system they had installed, provided active and full cooperation.
Since the workload outside of the supercomputer construction was relatively light, CEO Cha approached Taesik, unsure how to calculate the contract amount for the private contract. "CEO, the supercomputer production cost was about $50,000, and the rest is software development costs. How should I handle the pricing?"
"How many people from Deepmind were deployed for this project?"
"Three for the software and about seven for the computer assembly. Most of them are tech enthusiasts, so they participated in building the home-use supercomputers just for the fun of it."
"Then sign the contract for 10 billion won. Give 5 billion of that to the participants as incentives."
"Their annual salaries are already three times that of a regular employee, and you want to give them incentives on top of that?"
"Didn't I tell you before that I don't worry about costs when it comes to Deepmind? Use the remaining amount for company operating expenses."
"Should I apply the same to the NIS contract?"
"Ah! We need to sign a contract with the NIS as well, don't we? Proceed with the same terms. And you installed the security programs, right?"
"Yes. As you instructed, I’ve taken measures to prevent NIS access, including physical seals and software restrictions. I’m heading to the installation site tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"
"No. I have work to do here, so you take the staff and go."
"The employees are quite excited about visiting the front lines and a military base for the first time since their discharge. Actually, there is something I would like to ask you, CEO."
"Tell me anything."
"You’ve seen the news about the government building a 'Three-Axis System,' right?"
"Yes. I heard it consists of the Kill Chain, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) to reduce the North Korean threat. And isn't Starlink Communication currently developing military satellites?"
"Once those military satellites are up, they need to scan North Korean territory just like drones do. If an enemy threat is detected, we must use missiles or aircraft currently being developed by the Agency for Defense Development to eliminate the threat. The most critical part of that process will be identifying the threat and determining the method of elimination."
"Ah! So, we need a system that collects and processes video data from satellites and drones, using the same concept as the object-recognition software we're installing at the border."
"The primary goal is to identify threats like TELs (Transporter Erector Launchers). If we can go a step further and utilize the video data from our Switchblade drones, I believe we can build a comprehensive battlefield system for the entire combat zone."
"CEO! To process that level of information, we would need a supercomputer worth over 50 billion won..."
"Don't worry about the cost. I will provide all the funding. If it’s too difficult to build it all at once, it’s fine to separate the unit-level systems from the overall battlefield information system."
"Hmm... that would be a massive development project. Since it's difficult for humans to identify threats in real-time, we’ll need to build an AI-based system."
"Yes, exactly. If necessary, feel free to hire a large number of personnel for Deepmind."
"Understood. I will draft a conceptual design and report back to you."
CEO Cha Youngjin, who usually never left the Deepmind office, took the driver's seat himself, excited to go on a business trip with his staff for the first time in a while. He chatted with Researcher Lee Sang-hoon, a junior to CEO Kim, while they traveled in the same car.
"CEO! Is it true that the CEO is giving half of the profits from this project to the staff?"
"Yeah, it's true! When Deepmind was founded, he told us not to worry about profits and to focus on the next-generation core software we wanted to work on... but this is the first time he's given us a direct development order."
"What is it? The CEO has never given us a direct order before, has he? He always told us to make our own judgments..."
"Before I tell you, is your UAM autonomous driving research finished, Sang-hoon?"
"Of course. The software for the Valkyrie and the Loyal Wingman is similar, so I'm looking for a new research topic."
"Then let's work on this together as a joint project. The CEO ordered us to build a system that integrates and analyzes video information from satellites and drones to identify and eliminate enemy threats."
"Isn't our current headcount insufficient for a project of that scale?"
"The CEO has given us full autonomy regarding the necessary personnel and budget."
"Really? Then we could even upgrade the supercomputers we bought earlier."
"The budget is unlimited, so we can decide whatever we want."
"We absolutely should."
"Then let's start the conceptual design as soon as this project is finished."
The two discussed ways to build the tentatively named 'Battlefield Information System' as they headed toward the unit near Panmunjom, arriving at their destination in two hours. People from the Ministry of National Defense and the NIS were waiting for the Starlink staff, so they entered the base easily. The sentries stared with curious eyes at the Starlink Deepmind employees, who were dressed in civilian clothes.
The Deepmind staff began assembling the home-use supercomputers they had sent in advance, while the two men checked the software and waited for the assembly to finish. Once the 1,000 boards were installed in the racks, they turned on the power. Researcher Lee Sang-hoon checked for program errors and verified that there were no issues with the video data coming in from the CCTV cameras. Once Lee confirmed everything was ready, CEO Cha called over the Ministry of National Defense official and the NIS agent.
"The system installation is complete, and now only the verification process remains. As mentioned earlier, are the soldiers wearing South and North Korean uniforms ready?"
The Ministry of National Defense official laughed. "People are the one thing the military has in abundance. The soldiers are ready, so just say the word."
"Shall we start with the vehicles then?"
"Which CCTV number should we start with?"
The official called the subordinate battalion they had coordinated with and gave immediate orders. "This is Lieutenant Colonel Park! You have the quarter-ton trucks and the other vehicles ready, right? Have them pass by the CCTV at one-minute intervals! I'll call you when we're ready!" Hanging up, the official looked at the list of CCTVs. "CCTV number 23 is at the 324th Battalion. The vehicles are ready there."
CEO Cha Youngjin sighed while looking at the large screen. "Do you have to look at a list to identify the unit every time?"
"Yes. Is there another way?"
"By any chance, is there an Excel file for the list you're looking at right now?"
CEO Cha received the Excel file from the official and handed it to Researcher Lee Sang-hoon. Lee immediately linked the software displaying the screen with the Excel list so that the unit information appeared next to the CCTV number. The official, amazed that a long-standing inconvenience had been solved in an instant, exclaimed, "Do we not need to zoom in on CCTV 23? The quarter-ton jeep will be passing by shortly."
"When movement is detected, the software will automatically trigger an alarm and perform friend-or-foe identification to notify you."
A moment later, as the jeep passed under CCTV 23, the detection system generated a square box over the truck's shape, displayed its movement, and provided information that it was a friendly vehicle.
[ALERT] Movement detected: Friendly vehicle (Quarter-ton Jeep). Verify travel authorization.
A warning message appeared asking to verify the legitimacy of the movement. The official was stunned by the level of information provided, which differed significantly from the simple alarms of the existing system. Other trucks, armored vehicles, and tanks passed by in sequence, and the system displayed warning messages in the same format as before.
The NIS agent silently recorded the entire verification process with a camcorder to keep as evidence, while CEO Cha and the Deepmind staff checked for any errors. After the first round of verification, CEO Cha ordered lunch boxes from outside the base. Cheers erupted from the soldiers who had been waiting for the verification process.
Since the Deepmind staff couldn't be the only ones eating lunch, CEO Cha used his corporate card to provide boxed lunches and fried chicken for all the soldiers in the unit. The soldiers, who had been waiting idly, shouted with joy at the unexpected meal. Researcher Lee Sang-hoon watched the soldiers enjoying their food and said, "CEO! Why weren't there people like you around when I was serving on the front lines?"
"That's why they say you need to stand in the right line in the military!"
"Hahaha... CEO, you spent a lot of money this time."
"No, it's fine. I used the corporate card, and the total didn't even come to 4 million won..."
After a short break following lunch, CEO Cha Youngjin began the most important part of the verification: North Korean equipment and soldiers. "Is there a North Korean vehicle prepared?"
Instead of the Ministry of National Defense official, the NIS agent stepped forward. "We have a UAZ jeep prepared. It was imported from Russia, so the paint color is slightly different from North Korean military vehicles. Is that okay?"
"That's fine. The shape is what matters, so it won't be a problem."
Following the NIS agent's instructions, the UAZ jeep passed under the CCTV in the area where the control office was operating. The system displayed a message stating that a suspected North Korean vehicle was moving and automatically zoomed in on the corresponding CCTV screen.
With no issues found in the equipment and vehicle verification, they moved on to the most critical task: verifying the soldiers. Before starting the human verification, CEO Cha called the Ministry of National Defense official to confirm important details for each CCTV number. "The zones where soldiers are allowed to enter and where they are not match the data you provided, right?"
"I've checked it several times."
"Our soldiers are also designed to trigger a warning if they enter the restricted zone inside the DMZ, so this is a mandatory check. Let's proceed with the verification in order. Shall we start with our soldiers first? We'll begin with the zones where access is permitted."
The official picked up his radio and instructed the platoon leader to have the soldiers pass under the CCTV. As the soldiers passed, the CCTV immediately marked the group of soldiers with a gray box and displayed a message that movement had been detected. It added information that friend-or-foe identification was impossible due to a lack of facial recognition data, and the officials focused intently on the large screen.
"Where is the facial data for the soldiers? I told you to register it in advance..."
The military official provided a prepared USB, and Researcher Lee Sang-hoon, who was sitting nearby, transferred the data from the USB to the control computer.
[STATUS] Processing facial recognition data... Please wait.
The facial information transferred to the control computer began converting into data immediately. Once the message indicating that data extraction was complete appeared, Researcher Lee Sang-hoon sent a signal that they were ready.