Minister Kang Shin-cheol: “Crews must be trained for the introduction of Jang Bogo N”; AI to plug military security gaps posed by Chinese high-tech devices

[Financial News] Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol acknowledged a severe shortage of specialized personnel for the nuclear-powered submarine acquisition project, a key priority of the Lee Jae-myung government, and said he would draw up comprehensive measures to secure the workforce. He also said that, in response to concerns that Chinese-made smart devices and electric vehicles could threaten security within the military, the government would establish security rules and explore ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and block harmful elements in advance.
At the Ministry of National Defense’s parliamentary audit held by the National Assembly Defense Committee on the 7th, Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol responded to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Young-ha about the woefully inadequate pool of specialists needed to build and operate nuclear-powered submarines. “We need thousands of people, but we only have a few hundred at present,” he said, adding that he would do his utmost to train and recruit personnel. Yoo said, “The current submarine workforce is around 200 to 300 people, and of the 1,600 crew members, around half—800—are assigned to shore duty.” He added, “If each 8,000-ton nuclear-powered submarine requires about 130 crew members, it will be difficult to operate the roughly 20 existing conventional submarines properly with the personnel left over.”
Minister Kang replied, “When you take the training system into account, the crew issue requires one additional team, so far more personnel are needed than expected. We will thoroughly prepare for the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines by reviewing crew members’ working conditions, training, and talent development across the board.” He went on to stress, “Our military has long prepared many operational plans and countermeasures in response to the threat of North Korean nuclear-powered submarines, and we will establish an even more thorough state of readiness.” In May, the Ministry of National Defense announced the “Jang Bogo N project”—a basic plan for developing nuclear-powered submarines that aims to launch the first vessel in the mid-2030s—and five development principles at the Future Defense Strategy Committee, chaired by President Lee Jae-myung.
Security gaps and blind spots arising from the entry of advanced digital devices into military bases also came under scrutiny at the audit that day. Reform Party lawmaker Cheon Ha-ram said he had entered the audit venue wearing smart glasses and riding in a Chinese-made BYD electric vehicle without facing any restrictions, highlighting the military’s lax security posture. “Was I not stopped because I’m a lawmaker visiting to audit the minister, or can members of the public and military personnel also pass through like this?” he asked, pressing the minister over the lack of rules.
Minister Kang replied, “As a rule, all such devices should be blocked and subject to strict procedures.” He acknowledged, “There are no relevant rules within the military yet. This issue also emerged as a significant problem when I served as an ambassador at a diplomatic mission, so it needs to be addressed quickly.” He added, “We will establish institutional measures to prevent dangerous devices from being brought onto military bases. We are also working on technical countermeasures that use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and filter out these information-gathering devices and other harmful elements in advance and in real time.”

[email protected] Lee Jong-yoon Reporter