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Chapter 27: All In One Go
Chapter 27: All In One Go
The test finally began.
Soldiers in various disguises, representing different time periods, tried to infiltrate the square by digging tunnels.
However, they could not escape the watchful eyes of the drone system, which inevitably detected them and sounded the alarm.
Despite undergoing intensive training for three days with dozens of personnel, none of them could get close to the iron fence.
One day, a heavy rainstorm poured down, creating a muddy mess in the courtyard.
The soldiers hoped that the poor visibility would give them an edge, but they were wrong.
The drones had no trouble finding them in the rain, using their advanced sensors and cameras.
The officers who watched the footage from a safe distance were frustrated and annoyed.
―We’re losing too easily. Relay this message to the soldiers: Anyone who succeeds in touching the iron fence will get a 4-night, 5-day vacation.
The soldiers’ eyes lit up when they heard about the reward.
They became more determined and creative, using various tricks and strategies to evade the drones.
They waited for the shift change to sneak around, threw rocks to divert attention, and crawled under bushes and rocks.
One soldier even resorted to a desperate method, moving only one meter every minute during a night infiltration. However, as soon as he saw the violet LED of a drone hovering above him, he cursed and gave up.
“You’re truly relentless.”
The test had been going on for a long time, but the drone system showed no signs of malfunctioning or fatigue.
There was only one incident when a wild boar dug up the ground where some fiber optic cables were buried, causing a temporary glitch.
By this point, the test had turned into a battle of pride between humans and machines.
The superiors decided to deploy the Scorpion Unit, a specialized unit of North Korean mimics.
They were notorious for their skills in scientific warfare training and had humiliated many other units.
Some even called them the elite forces of the Korean People’s Army.
They wore authentic North Korean military uniforms and infiltrated with confidence.
They knew about the drones’ reputation and did their homework before making any moves.
They used lunar camouflage to blend in with the dark sky, covered themselves in mud to fool the thermal cameras, and moved swiftly and silently.
However, all their efforts were in vain.
The Scorpion Unit members were stunned when they saw the flashing red LED in front of them, signaling their detection.
“Wow, this is relentless. How can there be such formidable opponents?”
“If we just give them guns, they’ll wipe out the entire North Korean army, won’t they?”
They returned to their base, shaking their heads in disbelief and defeat.
And then, as if their words had planted a seed, something happened on a rainy night in April.
A guard post (GP) inside the DMZ sent an urgent report to the command center.
“Command center, this is GP 11. We heard gunfire, but we can’t see anything because of the rain.”
“Copy that. Deploy a search and reconnaissance team now. GP 11 is to monitor the front and be ready for combat at any time.”
A search and reconnaissance team cautiously entered the DMZ to investigate.
Bang! Bang!
On a stormy night, the old night vision goggles were useless, and the visibility was extremely low.
However, the sound of gunfire pierced through the rain.
“Stop searching! Take cover now!”
The team leader had to yell at the top of his lungs to give the order over the noise of the rain.
But then, one of his men spotted something.
“Sir, there’s a drone over there!”
It was the same drone that had been giving them a hard time for the past few days.
The team leader’s eyes widened and he motioned frantically.
“Hey! It’s making a fuss! Grab it and bring it back to the command center!”
That’s when it happened.
A violet laser beam shot out from the drone’s body.
The soldiers knew what it meant and hesitated.
“Lieutenant! It’s a defector! A defector’s presence!”
The command center also saw the violet outline on their screen and quickly contacted them.
“This is the command center. Can you capture the individual wearing a North Korean military uniform, about 35 meters ahead of you?”
“This is the search and reconnaissance team. We’ll capture him right away.”
It was an unbelievable feat.
To spot and report a defector in the middle of a downpour inside the DMZ was incredible.
The team leader and his men looked at the drone with awe and respect.
The violet laser followed them as they moved forward.
Then, as they got closer to the defector figure, the laser suddenly changed its color to red.
“···”
“Uh...”
No one could say anything.
There was confusion on the other side as well, as they heard faint sounds of “Huh?”
It was rare to encounter North Korean forces during search and reconnaissance missions inside the DMZ.
The routes were usually fixed, and even if they met, they would ignore each other like strangers.
However, the situation in the DMZ had become tense due to recent defections and shootings.
The UN had tried to intervene after the incidents, but it was useless.
The superiors had ordered them to act decisively if they ran into North Korean forces.
The team leader, without thinking, pointed his gun at the source of the laser.
However, out of nowhere, Korea succeeded in developing such a drone system.
The fact that these drones had undergone actual combat before their official deployment aroused considerable curiosity.
The example of Korea’s K-9 self-propelled howitzer showed that inquiries from buyers increased after the incident on Yeonpyeong Island.
Similarly, after the remarkable performance of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle during the Armenian war, it opened the door for significant exports.
Of course, since these surveillance drones were limited in their effectiveness in high-intensity conflicts, they might not have much impact in such situations.
However, as of 2026, low-intensity conflicts were happening much more often.
Military officials from various countries who observed the surveillance drones had similar thoughts:
—If target identification is so easy, why not attach firearms underneath and use them for infantry support?
—If we can build the body with black metal, we can ensure its armor performance. But then, the unit cost would skyrocket.
—With an algorithm like that, it might be more efficient than deploying troops. For example, in pirate raid operations.
—If we mount them on cruise missiles and launch them, the range issue practically disappears.
However, military officials also shared a common concern.
They wondered how the drone’s target identification algorithm was designed.
—According to the report of the shootout, the drones were able to distinguish between defectors and North Korean soldiers. This proves that the drones have sophisticated judgment capabilities.
—Shouldn’t we call it artificial intelligence rather than an algorithm? Even humans don’t easily show such discernment.
—Anyway, unless we thoroughly examine the target identification algorithm, we can’t fully trust it.
Countries tried to contact and evaluate the drone system based on their assessments.
However, it was not an easy task.
The drone system was still a newly developed weapon system that Korea hadn’t officially adopted.
Though various countries had embassies in Korea, only the United States succeeded in mobilizing defense officials to verify the drone system.
There were also requests from Japan, but the Korean government refused, considering its relationship with Yu Ji-ha.
Meanwhile, Colonel James attended the demonstration of the drone system with a cheerful mood but emerged with a grim face.
Journalists tried to interview him, but he didn’t say anything and instead contacted his home country.
As shown in the records above, Silla Hitech’s drone system was able to perform target identification smoothly even in the worst situations.
It surpassed any existing means of target identification by a large margin.
The system had the potential to excel even in high-intensity conflicts.
If we installed this system on mobile vehicles, we could easily engage in network-centric warfare without the need for elaborate platforms.
Therefore, there was a need for our home country to step forward and secure this drone system.
Since Korea still considered the United States as an ally, we couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.
However, Colonel James added a postscript stating that the disclosure of at least a portion of the target identification algorithm by the manufacturer was a prerequisite.
This was because there were many obscure aspects of the algorithm used in the drone system that he couldn’t understand.
Furthermore, among those who felt this way, there were also several members of the Korean National Assembly.
After witnessing the demonstration, the members of the Defense Committee showed generally positive reactions.
However, they had one concern.
“It’s all good, but... We need to understand how that algorithm works. What if the drones turn our soldiers into enemies?”
When Representative Lee Hong-sik, a senior member of the ruling party and the committee chairman, made this argument, everyone nodded in agreement.
“We need at least a partial disclosure of the target identification algorithm. Let’s send an official request.”
So, the National Assembly’s Defense Committee formally requested Silla Hitech to disclose the algorithm.
However, the response was negative.
“All source code of the drone system is the property and trade secret of Silla Hitech, so it cannot be disclosed.”
Surprisingly, with such a firm response, many lawmakers quietly withdrew their positions.
They were worried that unnecessary meddling could cause a backlash, as the issue was getting public attention.
However, Congressman Lee Hong-sik stubbornly persisted in demanding the disclosure of the source code.
“I’m not asking for everything to be disclosed. I suggest verifying a portion of the most critical target identification algorithm together with the Defense Science and Technology Research Institute. With their involvement, we can conduct fair and accurate verification.”
If this proposal was not accepted, he threatened to partially revise the Enforcement Rules of the Defense Acquisition Program Act.
It was an expression of his determination to see the source code even if it required changing the law.
Perhaps annoyed by his attitude, Silla Hitech agreed to the condition of disclosing the source code only to the Defense Science and Technology Research Institute.
Despite the satisfaction expressed by Congressman Lee Hong-sik and other officials, their remarks were ridiculed in online communities.
—When did they start caring so much about our soldiers?
—That guy was involved in blocking the investigation into defense corruption. Is he in such financial trouble that he resorts to corruption?
—Isn’t he Park Hyun-gu’s right-hand man? He’ll probably sell information to China soon.
Lee Hong-sik ignored all the insults and criticisms.
However, the developers at the Defense Science and Technology Research Institute, who finally managed to open the code after various difficulties, were dumbfounded.
There were no comments at all, and the code was incredibly complex, making it hard to understand.
“Hey... This is a bit too much. How many nested functions are there?”
“I can’t figure out why there are calls here. There are too many lines of code with no clear meaning.”
“Will this even work as it is?”
After struggling with the source code for several days, the Defense Science and Technology Research Institute finally submitted a report to the Defense Committee.
The report stated that it was not possible to verify the target identification function with the given source code.
The Defense Committee was furious and demanded a proper response, but Silla Hitech insisted that it was all they could provide.
If you looked closely at the current situation, you could see that there was only one person raising their voice.
It was none other than Congressman Lee Hong-sik.
He continued to pressure Silla Hi-Tech to release the proper source code, even if it meant becoming their enemy.
Other members, including his aides, were being passive and hesitant, considering public opinion.
Why were they acting that way?
He knew very well why they were maintaining their stance.