Counter-drone systems to detect illegal drones and block intrusions will be built in phases at liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage bases nationwide, which are classified as grade "Ga," the highest security level among Korea's critical national facilities.
According to the public institution management information system Alio on the 22nd, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) recently issued a bidding notice to build counter-drone systems at its LNG bases in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, and Samcheok, Gangwon. The estimated contract price for the two sites combined is 3.5 billion won. KOGAS plans to close bidding on Feb. 19 and hold a proposal presentation on Feb. 26.
KOGAS has LNG production bases in five locations: Pyeongtaek, Samcheok, Incheon, Jeju, and Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang. After importing LNG from natural gas-producing countries, it unloads at the production bases and stores it in storage tanks.
The LNG stored at the bases then goes through regasification (the process of converting natural gas transported in an ultra-low-temperature liquid state back into a gaseous state so it can be used on land or at sea) and is sent nationwide through pipeline networks. The Pyeongtaek and Incheon bases are considered the largest LNG storage facilities in the world.
Among KOGAS's LNG bases, only Incheon currently has a counter-drone system. Since 2021, the Incheon base has operated an integrated counter-drone system capable of drone detection, identification and tracking, and neutralization.
The counter-drone system was set up at the Incheon base because illegal drone flights and filming were frequently detected there in the past. In 2021, an unidentified drone intruded into the airspace over the Incheon base, and in 2022 a drone that crashed after filming inside the base was found. There were also several cases in which people operating drones without permission were caught and handed over to police.
The Incheon base's counter-drone system can monitor in real time all drones approaching within a 3-kilometer radius of the base. With performance radar and RF (radio frequency) scanners, it can detect even small drones invisible to the naked eye. Using advanced video analysis technology, it can quickly distinguish whether an aerial object is an illegally intruding drone or a flying bird.
Domestic LNG production bases are critical national facilities classified as grade Ga, the highest security level. Prior military authorization is required for drone flights and filming. If an LNG production base is struck, power plants and heating supply in nearby areas could be halted, causing an energy crisis. There is also a risk that a small spark could lead to a large-scale explosion.
Excluding the Incheon base, the other four bases each have only one portable neutralization device. The Boryeong LNG Terminal, Gwangyang LNG Terminal, and Ulsan LNG Terminal, which are operated by private corporations and are also classified as critical national facilities, have not properly established counter-drone systems.
The National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources have repeatedly recommended that KOGAS promptly establish a counter-drone framework. KOGAS plans to build counter-drone systems at the Pyeongtaek and Samcheok bases this year and create counter-drone frameworks at the Tongyeong and Jeju bases in 2028.
A KOGAS official said, "Not only in Incheon but also at other bases, there have frequently been cases in recent years suspected to involve illegal drone flights," and added, "In light of the need to prepare for rapidly changing security situations such as recent wars and terrorism threats, we decided to establish counter-drone systems at all LNG bases."