▲ This photo, provided by the Army, shows soldiers of the 1st Coastal Security Battalion monitoring the coast area from a command and control center in Gangneung, about 170 kilometers east of Seoul, on Feb. 10, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A soldier prepares to fly a surveillance drone at the 1st Coastal Security Battalion in the east coast city of Gangneung on Feb. 10, 2026, in this photo provided by the Army. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(Yonhap Feature) Army-coastal security

(Yonhap Feature) Army boasts coastal security readiness ahead of Lunar New Year

By Kim Hyun-soo

GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- A blurry silhouette of an unidentified vessel emerged on a screen monitoring the east coast near Gangneung, triggering an immediate warning broadcast in the situation room and prompting the commander to order the dispatch of an attack unit.

Monitoring soldiers frantically operated the console to zoom in on the object, successfully confirming its exact location at sea and obtaining a clear image of the vessel within minutes.

The commander, who oversaw the entire operation from the other side of a glass wall, ordered the deployment of a subunit 11 kilometers away to arm and strike the simulated target.

The routine response procedures of the 1st Coastal Security Battalion, affiliated with the Army's 23 Security Brigade, were carried out in an open-to-the-media mock drill Tuesday ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The battalion is tasked with conducting around-the-clock coastal security operations in areas stretching some 40 kilometers across the eastern coastal city of Gangneung.

The rare media event was arranged in a bid to show the unit's watertight readiness and enhanced efficiency after it incorporated all surveillance devices previously set up at guard posts into a single command and control center.

"With the battalion commander now able to control all surveillance assets from the command room, the unit is managing the situation in a comprehensive manner and maintaining a readiness posture capable of immediate response in contingencies," said Lt. Col. Lim Joong Seok, who heads the battalion, told reporters.

The unit is on the lookout for unreported vessels or objects in waters under its jurisdiction using surveillance equipment, such as radars, thermal observation devices (TODs) and surveillance cameras. The surveillance operation continues until the unidentified object is verified by the armed service.

The 1st Coastal Security Battalion is the first among the Army's Ground Operations Command to adopt the new coastal guard system capable of providing surveillance, maneuver and strike capabilities at one go.

The initiative was aimed at restructuring the military to better respond to the declining number of troops by positioning them into a single command center for increased efficiency.

It also strengthened the combat capabilities for the subunits by focusing their tasks on deployment and strike capabilities, and leaving surveillance work for soldiers in the control room.

"The military has greatly increased operational efficiency by operating surveillance forces at the battalion level and strike forces at the coastal company level, in line with future military structural changes," Lim said.

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