South Korea bolsters its border defences, fearing Hamas-style attack from North

Analysts estimate North Korea could pummel Seoul with some 16,000 rockets and shells in the first hour of a surprise attack like the one on Israel

A Hamas-style assault would be devastating, though some observers suggest the Palestinian militant group actually ‘learned from North Korean tactics’

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South Korean soldiers and a US soldier at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30am, 13 Oct 2023Updated: 9:31am, 13 Oct 2023

The massive surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel has underscored the risk of a similar assault against South Korea by the North and the urgency for Seoul to quickly boost its defence capabilities, defence analysts said.

In recent days, the South Korean defence establishment has been closely monitoring the Israel-Hamas war, with analysts saying Seoul is aiming to learn from the ongoing conflict and reassess its level of military preparedness against North Korea.

South Korea’s new Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said Israel could have suffered fewer losses from the attack if it had conducted extensive round-the-clock surveillance at its border with Gaza.

To bolster the South’s border security and surveillance activities, Shin has called for the suspension of an existing agreement on the expanded buffer zones separating the two Koreas that was signed in 2018 to reduce military tension.

According to some analysts’ estimates, North Korea has reportedly deployed more than 1,000 long-range artillery pieces near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, including 170mm self-propelled howitzers and 240mm multiple rocket launchers.