Chinese components found in Army communications systems
Chinese-made codecs were identified in Korean Army videoconferencing equipment, raising security concerns despite the military saying inspections found no issues.
Chinese-made components have been found in key parts of videoconferencing systems used byKorean Army units for command and communications in wartime and peacetime. The discovery is raising concerns about vulnerabilities in military communications as worries grow at home and abroad over malware and data leaks involving Chinese-made equipment.
The Army introduced new equipment at 86 subordinate units last year to replace aging videoconferencing systems, according to the office of People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee.
Of the 11 types of components used in the equipment, two types of codecs — key devices that convert analog video and audio signals into digital signals for transmission — were found to be made in China. They included the MeetingEye 500, made by Yealink, a videoconferencing company headquartered in Shenzhen, China.
“Yealink’s service agreement requires users to accept China’s laws, while a related set of service terms allows the active monitoring of users when required by the ‘national interest [of China],'” U.S. defense news outlet Defense One reported. Some U.S. state governments also banned the use of Yealink products in 2024 over security concerns.
The videoconferencing equipment is used in commanders’ offices, conference rooms and operations centers for operational meetings, situation management and command and control. It is also linked to the military-wide video teleconference network, meaning major military information could be transmitted through the system in both wartime and peacetime.
Similar concerns have surfaced before. In 2020, about 1,300 Chinese-made CCTV cameras installed in the Army’s coastal and riverbank surveillance systems were found configured with IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of servers in China that werepreviously linked to malware distribution.
Other vulnerabilities were also identified, including the ability to store video data externally and allow remote access. The Army subsequently removed all of the equipment.
An illustration of a man holding a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on himREUTERS/YONHAP
Security concerns over Chinese-made equipment have recently emerged overseas as well. British newspaper The Telegraph reported this month that cameras installed on the K3 Scout, an unmanned surface vessel operated by the Royal Marines, had been transmitting operational data without authorization to IP addresses in China. Concerns were raised that the locations of personnel at the headquarters of the Special Boat Service could have been exposed.
“Some of the codecs are products made by Chinese manufacturers, but security inspections by the Defense Counterintelligence Command and the Cyber Operations Command found no unusual issues,” Korea's Armysaid. “We are applying multilayered security measures, including a separate dedicated network and encryption and cybersecurity equipment.”
Separately, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the National Assembly on Thursday that it expects North Korea’s border fortification work along the Military Demarcation Line to be completed around 2028. The ministry also said North Korean forces are deploying new 240-millimeter (9.4-inch) and 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers, self-propelled artillery and tactical missiles to areas near the border.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
