Pyeongchang Olympics Anti-Terrorism Will Use Drones to Catch Drones

The Pyeongchang Olympics are barely a few months away security agencies are working on testing the latest gadgets and equipment for enhanced safety and security. An estimated million spectators, athletes, and guests – and 26 heads of state from 21 countries will be present at the opening and closing ceremonies and other event venues. Security will be of paramount importance.

The latest amongst the several the safety measures announced by the Pyeongchang Olympics Anti-Terrorism and Safety Headquarters are specialized drones. One is a tactical airplane with special facial recognition capabilities and a high-resolution intelligent CCTV- its hawk’s eye which will detect threats from a height of 150 to 200 meters thereby giving the drone a real-time perspective on even the smallest visitor activities in and around the venues.

“If the intelligent CCTV picks up a threat, agents at the scene will be deployed immediately to bring it under control,” explained an official. “Drone-catching drones” will also be working to cast nets over suspicious drones approaching Winter Olympics venues.

Safety for the Pyeongchang Olympics is the joint responsibility of the Pyeongchang Olympics anti-Terrorism and Safety Headquarters and 17 government agencies, including the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC), National Intelligence Service (NIS), police, and armed forces. Round-the-clock operations involving establishing local safety control offices at 18 major sites, including event venues, accommodations, and media centers will commence from 1st of Feb.

Constant monitoring and prevention through numerous high-tech devices will form the basis of the security strategy by implementation of preliminary screening and searches. Areas near Olympics venues in Pyeongchang, Gangneung, and Jeongseon are being classified as no-fly zones. If a drone approaches the venue the drone detection radar developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) will get activated and drone radio signal-jamming guns will be fired to bring the perpetrator down. Special force agents in choppers will then shoot down the drone by shotgun.

Apart from the airborne tactical airplane an additional 900 intelligent CCTV cameras will operate on ground at the Olympic security areas to detect any suspicious activity near the event venues or the athlete’s village. These cameras will have wide-angle lenses with nighttime filming capabilities that will monitor blind spots and provide immediate information when cameras are damaged.

X-ray search vehicles worth some 1.5 billion won (US$1.4 million) a piece will detect and block access to people hidden in vehicles. They will be used to search inside of vehicles for guns and other dangerous objects also. Photographic examination of the entire under section of vehicles will be undertaken to block any illegal entry of explosives.

A 24×7 computer emergency response team (CERT) of about 700 people has been set up to respond to computer network hacking and other cyber threats including DDoS attacks and malware circulation. “We are preparing to provide guests to the Pyeongchang Olympics with the safest competition in Winter Olympics history,” an official source said.