Pointers were raised that the security of Chinese-made drones and Russian-made video processing software used in the comprehensive farmland survey had not been reviewed in advance. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that it is operating the equipment with blocks in place to prevent data from being transmitted to external servers.
At the National Assembly Committee for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Fisheries audit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 7th, Kim Yong-tae, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, revealed that 94 out of the 103rd drones deployed for the comprehensive farmland survey are Chinese-made.
This accounts for approximately 91% of the total. Kim (Rep.) pointed out that 95% of the drones deployed in the Gyeonggi and Gangwon regions, where military units are densely concentrated, are also Chinese-made.
Issues were also raised regarding the ordering conditions for the 74th drones directly purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It was noted that while some specifications explicitly stated security requirements such as data not being transferred to manufacturer servers and the equipment needing to be usable with internet access cut off, these conditions were omitted in other specifications.
In response to a question about why the security conditions changed, Song (Minister) answered, "I have only heard that it was due to budget issues."
Security concerns regarding video processing software were also raised. Kim (Rep.) stated, "Video footage captured by drones is processed through 'Metashape' software by a Russian company," adding, "This is the first comprehensive farmland survey in history where footage is shot with Chinese-made drones and processed with Russian-made software."
He continued, "Upon checking with relevant institutional investors, I received an answer stating that no security reviews were conducted for either the drones or the video processing software, nor were any alternative software reviews or security reviews carried out during the drafting of purchase specifications."
Song (Minister) stated, "We are managing things so that data is not transmitted externally," explaining that captured materials are stored on an internal server separated from external networks. He added, "Internal security guidelines regarding drone operations and the management of captured materials have also been established and are being adhered to."
When asked when Kim (Rep.) became aware of the use of Chinese-made drones and Russian-made software, Song (Minister) answered, "I found out this time." In response to a question asking if he learned about it from news reports, he said, "Yes."
In response to a question about whether he had reported this to the President, he answered, "I have not reported up to this point." When Kim (Rep.) demanded that he re-verify the security management situation, Song (Minister) stated, "We will conduct an inspection."
In explanatory materials distributed on the day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that Korea Rural Community Corporation keeps 'Local Data Mode' (LDM) constantly activated during drone flights. This method involves storing data collected during flight only within the aircraft and controller, without transmitting it to external servers.
It was revealed that captured materials on SD cards are stored only on an internal server of the Korea Rural Community Corporation with external network access blocked, and are processed and managed in a secure offline environment. It was also added that internal training regarding drone operations and the management of captured materials has been conducted.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Rural Community Corporation emphasized that they will thoroughly manage security to ensure that data collected during the survey does not leak externally.
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