South Korea And The U.S. Prepare To Storm Kim Jong Un’s Underground Bunkers

• 18.03.2025, 10:23

Drones and quadrupedal robots could be used in the operation.

South Korean and U.S. military forces have begun drills aimed at blocking and storming North Korea’s vast underground tunnel network, reports Korea Korea JoongAng Daily. According to the publication, the four-day exercises involve 370 troops from both sides. The forces will employ cutting-edge technology, including drones, quadrupedal robots, and demining robots.

According to intelligence from the South Korean Army’s Ground Operations Command, thousands of tunnels have been dug under Pyongyang and other strategic locations in North Korea. These tunnels serve as secret evacuation routes for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials in the event of all-out war. In addition to the tunnels themselves, North Korea’s underground facilities include storage sites for weapons of mass destruction and urban infrastructure such as metro systems. Seoul and Washington decided to conduct training for storming these facilities against the backdrop of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, where Palestinian militants built an extensive tunnel network used to hold Israeli hostages and shelter group leaders. Notably, as early as 2019, South Korea had already formed specialized underground combat units.

As Korea JoongAng Daily reports, the joint U.S.-South Korean exercises began with the launch of reconnaissance drones. Based on intelligence gathered by the drones, South Korean mechanized units launched a ground attack, neutralizing the opposing forces outside the tunnel and blocking entry and exit points. The troops then cut off water, ventilation, and electricity systems, completely isolating the enemy inside the underground structures. Next, miniature drones were deployed to pinpoint enemy positions within the tunnels and confirm the absence of chemical contamination. Only after these steps did the troops enter the underground facility, suppress resistance, and successfully complete the mission, the publication notes.

“This was an invaluable opportunity for South Korean and American troops to come together as one team and exchange underground combat strategies. We were able to gain diverse operational experience and identify areas for improvement in tunnel warfare,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hwang Hyun-jo, commander of the special maneuver support brigade’s engineering battalion.