South Korea’s military chiefs moved Wednesday to a new high-security building which features resistance against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks and against powerful quakes

South Korea's military chiefs moved Wednesday to a new high-security building which features resistance against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks and against powerful quakes, officials said.
  
The 10-storey building for the joint chiefs of staff, with four underground floors, was built next to the defense ministry's headquarters in central Seoul at a cost of 187.5 billion won ($166.5 million).
  
Military officials said key facilities are equipped with a system to guard against EMP attacks -- bursts of electromagnetic radiation caused by high energy explosions such as the high-altitude detonation of a nuclear warhead.
  
Such waves -- used as a prelude to an all-out attack -- could shut down electronic equipment including weapons systems within tens or even hundreds of kilometres. The defence ministry announced in 2009 it would spend up to 100 billion won over the next five years to protect key facilities against EMP waves.
  
The new building, also capable of withstanding a 8.38-magnitude earthquake, is part of preparations to strengthen the country's independent defence role.
  
South Korean troops at present would come under US command in case of war under a treaty signed during the 1950-53 Korean War. Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in the country. The South will regain wartime operational control over its troops in 2015.