South Korean Army Sets Up First Smart Camp at U.N. Base in South Sudan
South Korea's Army has built a smart camp at its Hanbit Unit base in South Sudan, the first such system at a U.N. peacekeeping base, to improve troop safety and operational efficiency.
A smart camp integrates functions needed to operate a military base, including surveillance and facilities management, by applying information and communications technology. A ceremony marking the establishment was held Tuesday local time at the Hanbit Unit base in South Sudan, the Army said. The military expects the system to improve the safety and operational efficiency of peacekeeping troops and to reduce harm to the environment.
The South Korean government proposed the smart camp model for U.N. peacekeeping operations during a peacekeeping ministerial conference in Seoul in 2021. It later selected the Hanbit Unit as a pilot model and carried out the project. At the ceremony, participants demonstrated key functions of the smart camp under real-life scenarios, including detecting intruders into the base using intelligent surveillance cameras and other reconnaissance assets.
Army Col. Kim Young-seok, head of the smart camp's task force, and Aggrey Kedogo, chief of operation and resource management at the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, attended the event. The Army said it plans to continue reviewing ways to apply the smart camp system to other U.N. peacekeeping operations.
South Korea's Hanbit Unit has been deployed to South Sudan since 2013 as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. It has contributed to infrastructure development there, including the maintenance and repair of roads and airport runways.