North Korean Underground Tunnels, Impregnable Fortresses against Nuclear Attack
Eludes U.S. spy satellites by painting radar-absorbing materials(on the entrance)
Enough food to last for 3 years -- even equipped with oxygen generators


We set up the new section called 'N. Korean File' to provide you with vivid picture of N. Korean society. (Articles in) this section would be based on internal documents from N. Korea or testimony from N. Korean defectors. As its first article, we investigate underground tunnels in N. Korea, based on content from monthly magazine 'N. Korea.'

It is first revealed in S. Korea that N. Korea kept U.S. spy satellites from tracking locations of their underground tunnels by analyzing Russian satellite photographs. It is also confirmed that their underground tunnels are designed to withstand nuclear attacks

The July issue of a monthly magazine 'N. Korea,' published by N. Korea Institute (executive director: Kim Chang-soon,) reported 'the Status of N. Korean underground tunnels in cities and counties,' based on the testimony of a N. Korean defector, Mr. Kang(age:56.)

According to its report, upon N. Korean request, Russia had taken the satellite pictures of N. Korean underground tunnels, and provide N. Koreans with the pictures. N. Korean General Staffs analyzed them. Upon finding any underground tunnels exposed to the satellite surveillance, they immediately alerted those in charge of the exposed tunnels via telex, asking them to repaint radar-absorbing materials on underground tunnels' entrance door. This way, they have been eluding the detection by U.S. spy satellites. Mr. Kang said, "Guards at underground tunnels spent the largest amount of time in painting such material." This underground tunnel is for wartime command post, which can command and control the entire population of a city, and is safe from nuclear attack.

5 meter in front of the door to command tunnel in City H. of N. Ham-kyong Province, they made an artificial hill of 1,500 cubic meters. Upon enemy's nuclear or chemical attack, an alert bell would be sounded. Then a commander, with mere push of a button, can detonate explosives buried inside the hill. After the explosion, the entrance to the tunnel would be completely covered with dirts, and oxygen generators inside the tunnel start to operate, which allow people inside to survive for three months.

No. 1 tunnel is for storing items of personality cults, such as statues and portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. It is connected to the command tunnel, and designed to last indefinitely. N. Korean underground tunnels are divided into categories such as storage of strategic reserve materials, wartime production of military supplies, civilian evacuation. They can prosecute their war using underground tunnels only. No.2 tunnels are for storing (wartime) food supply to last for years. It is said that, even during the peak of famine in mid-90's, no food supply was released to public. Occasionally soldiers try to steal from it, but they are shot on sight.





Types of Underground Tunnels source: July issue of 'N. Korea'
Type
When to use
Purpose and maintenance responsibility
Survival duration
Command Tunnel wartime

  • wartime command, control, and communication for milita, youth guards, reserve units
  • Civil Defense Dept. of a local Party Committe

 3 months
No.1 Tunnel wartime

  • statues of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-sook, and the storage of No. 1 materials
  • Civil Defense Dept. of a local Party Committe

 permanent
No. 66 Tunnel (civilian evacuation) wartime

  • the evacuation of whole population upon air raid alert
  • Security Section of City Police

 3 years
No. 2 Storage
(food storage)		 peacetime,
wartime

  • storage of wartime food
  • No. 2 Management Office(directly under a Party Secretary-in-Charge)

 3 years
No.4 Material Tunnel peacetime,
wartime

  • wartime construction materials
  • province, city, and county

 3 years
Fuel Oil Tunnel (diesel, gasoline) wartime

  • storage for wartime fuel
  • fuel oil depot for military units, provinces, cities, and counties, or General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization

 5 years
Munition Tunnel peacetime,
wartime

  • munition storage
  • General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization, Security Section of province, city, and county police

 3 years
Strategic Reserve Material Tunnel wartime

  • storage of strategic reserve materials
  • General Bureau of Logistics Mobilization

 3 years
Factory Relocation Tunnel wartime

  • wartime production of military supplies
  • military supply factories and businesses

 3 years




The Diagram of Command Tunnel in City H., N. Ham-kyong Province


upper middle: a mountain

lower half:
far left (checkered box): buried explosives inside an artificial hill --
to be detonated for sealing the tunnel entrance.

next to the right: entrance door --
painted with radio-wave absorbing materials
(evades radar detection like a stealth fighter)

right: lower tunnel -- 20 chambers inside

upper tunnel -- No. 1 Tunnel




Equipments for Maintaining Command Tunnel
Name
Use
Country of Origin
Generator lighting, heating Japan, Russia, China
Fan humidity control Russia, China,
N. Korea
Oxygen genrator oxygen for sealed tunnel Russia, China
Ultraviolet light lighting Russia, N. Korea
Detonator for sealing tunnel entrance upon nuclear and chemical alert
Stealth entrance absorbing radio-wave
from radars
Telex and fiber optic communication equipment wartime communication Western countries
Food, medicine, bedding, and fuel