‘S. Korea still on alert over N. Korean infiltration tunnels’: ex-spy chief [VIDEO]

The military is still on alert over possible infiltration tunnels the North Koreans built, former state intelligence agency chief Nam Jae-joon said Monday during a televised debate involving nine minor presidential candidates.

The former four-star general is running for South Korea’s presidency as a candidate of the minor opposition Patriotic Party. He has an approval rating below 1 percent.

By Lee Han-soo, Park Si-soo

“Our military has not yet put its guard down over North Korea’s possible infiltration tunnels (into South Korea),” Nam said after another minor contender, Kim Min-chan, asked him about the issue. “The military believes that there are one or two infiltration tunnels under the south side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that remain undetected.” He said the military is still “devoting itself to searching for them.”

He did not say where the search was under way. South Korea’s defense ministry refused to comment.

The South Korean military has discovered four infiltration tunnels on the south side of the DMZ since the end of 1950-53 Korean War. The tunnels were apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. Each is said to be big enough for 30,000 armed soldiers an hour. North Korea has denied building the tunnels. No news of infiltration tunnels has emerged since the 1990s, but there are rumors that a surprise attack on the South through the tunnels is still a viable option for the North.

Asked about the possibility that the North has built a tunnel nearly to Seoul, the former spy chief said “No.”

“No matter how advanced the North’s tunneling technology is, it’s impossible to build a tunnel stretching down to Seoul,” Nam said.