Military Underground Bunkers Targeted by North Korea [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Mention of Core Plans at the 8th Party Congress in 2021
Subsequent Claims of Mounting 4.5t Warheads Instead of 2.5t

As North Korea embarks on developing ballistic missiles with increased warhead weight, attention is turning to bunker facilities that serve as military command posts. The reason North Korea aims to increase warhead weight is to destroy underground bunkers used by South Korean and U.S. forces.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 2nd, the Korean Central News Agency reported, "The previous day, we successfully test-fired the ‘Hwasong-11da-4.5’ equipped with a 4.5-ton class super-large warhead," adding, "This test launch was conducted with a simulated warhead missile to verify flight stability and hit accuracy over a maximum range of 500 km and a minimum range of 90 km."

North Korea has been focusing on developing ballistic missiles with increased warhead weight. In January 2021, at the 8th Party Congress, North Korea mentioned the ‘core concept’ (goal) of the five-year plan for defense development and ordered the development of a ‘super-large nuclear warhead.’ Subsequently, in March of the same year, North Korea launched an upgraded version of its Iskander-type missile (KN-23, 19-1 SRBM), emphasizing that the warhead weight was increased from around 1 ton to 2.5 tons.

Tactical Nuclear Purpose to Destroy Target Range

This is a tactical nuclear weapon, not a strategic one. While strategic nuclear weapons are used to completely devastate large cities or military facilities, tactical nuclear weapons can only tactically destroy the target range. South Korea’s ‘2022 Defense White Paper’ also separately lists North Korean SRBMs with ‘high-weight warheads.’

There are about six underground bunkers in South Korea used as national command posts in emergencies by South Korea and the U.S. These include the ‘CP Tango’ and ‘SCIF’ (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility), which are wartime command and control facilities of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the underground bunker ‘CC Seoul,’ the ‘B1 Bunker’ inside the Capital Defense Command, and the ‘B2 Bunker’ located underground in the Joint Chiefs of Staff building.

The most well-known is the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command command and control center ‘CP Tango (Command Post Tango),’ established in the 1970s. TANGO stands for Theater Air Naval Ground Operations in the U.S. military. This facility has been shrouded in secrecy, but it was revealed in March 2005 when then U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited South Korea. It is built as an underground bunker within a solid granite tunnel beneath Cheonggyesan Mountain in the civilian control zone south of the Han River.

Direct Targeting of Bunkers Used by ROK-U.S. Forces in Wartime

At CP Tango, all photographic intelligence from reconnaissance satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometers above the Korean Peninsula, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flying at 20 km altitude, and high-altitude drones like the Global Hawk can be viewed at a glance. It can also receive information from the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in the U.S. mainland.

Also located within the U.S. military base in Yongsan, Seoul, is the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces underground bunker ‘CC (Command Center) Seoul,’ commonly called the ‘Eighth Army bunker.’ It was partially disclosed in 2002, noting that the ROK-U.S. command uses it during peacetime. Currently, it is known to be unused following the relocation of the U.S. military base to Pyeongtaek. Additionally, there is the lesser-known U.S. military Oscar bunker, reportedly located in the Camp Walker area in Daegu. It is said to have been built in case of failure to stop North Korean attacks north of Seoul, necessitating a retreat to the south of Seoul.

The representative command facility of the South Korean military is the underground bunker beneath the Blue House, called the ‘National Crisis Situation Center.’ Originally equipped with only basic facilities, it transformed into a bona fide emergency command location in 2003.

There is also the ‘B1 Bunker,’ an underground bunker within the Capital Defense Command. This facility became publicly known as presidents, who are the commanders-in-chief, have visited it without fail during their first year in office. The B1 Bunker serves as the practical wartime command headquarters for the South Korean military in the event of full-scale war. The wartime command post gathers all battlefield data based on the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS) and the Tactical Command and Control Automation System (C4I), assisting the president and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in making decisions during emergencies.

Most Domestic Command Bunker Locations Are Public

There is also the ‘B2 Bunker’ located underground in the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul. The Joint Chiefs of Staff introduced this facility to the public when the building was constructed in August 2012. The B2 Bunker is equipped with the Combined Forces Command Theater Command and Control System (CENTRIXS-K), which allows sharing of military intelligence and battlefield situations with the U.S. Pacific Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as a video command system. It oversees operations of the Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters and operational commands through the Korean military Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS). It is also connected via real-time video command systems to overseas deployed units such as those in Haiti, enabling direct operational command from the Joint Chiefs of Staff while viewing high-definition images transmitted via military satellites. The bunker is designed to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.38 and is equipped with protective systems against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.

Other facilities include the document storage (B3 Bunker) at the Gyeryongdae bunker housing the Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters, and the satellite operations center at Jaun-dae in Daejeon. These locations have EMP protection facilities installed. The Joint Chiefs of Staff plans to designate 51 fixed facilities, including the Special Warfare Command, for additional EMP protection and aims to complete this by 2051 as part of a mid-to-long-term plan. EMP warheads can disable radars, aircraft, and air defense systems, making them a key weapon in future warfare. When used against enemy fleets or aircraft, EMP warheads cause them to lose control functions momentarily, leading to crashes or failure of defense systems.

Although not a military facility, there is an underground command post called the ‘B5 Bunker’ used exclusively by government officials of major South Korean government ministries. It is known to be connected to the Gwacheon Government Complex and the Capital Defense Command. Currently, it is not in use after the relocation to the Sejong Government Complex.