SPECULATION OVER SUSPICIOUS ISLAND

[Anchor Lead]

Speculation has been brewing in South Korea that one of its islands houses North Korean military equipment. It's none other than Hambakdo Island situated near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea. Despite South Korea's repeated efforts to dismiss the rumours, suspicions continue to brew. As a result, the Ministry of National Defense has invited journalists to an island located near Hambakdo to dispel the allegation.

[Pkg]

A 40-minute ride in a torpedo boat from Ganghwado Island brings you to a naval base on Maldo Island located eight kilometers from Hambakdo Island. The tall steel structure towering on the mountaintop is a surveillance facility belonging to the North Korean Army.

[Soundbite] (DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIAL) : "There are radars and military equipment, but those are not military radars. They are intended to monitor ships and fishing boats."

To the right, you can see barracks that can accommodate about 30 North Korean soldiers. Further down from there is a concrete structure. There has been speculation that it is North Korean coastal artillery. However, the South Korean military says it's just a supporting stand.

[Soundbite] (DEFENSE MINISTRY OFFICIAL) : "The holes in the ground were apparently mistaken for coastal artillery. But they face north."

According to the defense ministry, over the past four years the North has set up surveillance posts on uninhabited islands near the Northern Limit Line. One of them was installed on Hambakdo Island in 2017. However, it does not include coastal artillery or any other weapons. The controversy over the island's jurisdiction remains.

[Soundbite] HONG KEUN-KI(MALDO ISLAND RESIDENT) : "(When was the last time locals visited Hambakdo?) As far as I remember, it was in the late 1960s."

The ministry says Hambakdo Island belongs to North Korea as it's located to the north of the NLL. When the Korean War armistice was signed, Hambakdo was clearly marked on the map as part of North Korea. The ministry added that some South Koreans are believed to have visited the island back in the 1960s, as trespassing control was not as tight in the NLL area at the time. But no such incidents have been reported since the 1970s.