South Korea holds first nationwide defense drills in six years
By Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, contributing writer
South Korea held a nationwide civil defense drill for the first time in six years on Wednesday, as a part of bolstered responses to North Korea’s repeated missile launches.
The drill, based on a North Korean air raid scenario and lasting 20 minutes from 2 p.m., required South Korea’s 51 million residents to practice evacuating to shelters or underground spaces such as train stations.
While government officials took part in the drill, posts to social media appeared to show that a number of residents, businesses, shops and restaurants went about business as usual, largely ignoring the drill.
The drill was also the first to be held after the duration of air-raid siren warning was changed, reducing it from three minutes to one, the Yonhap news agency reported.
It was part of a larger exercise by the South Korean government as it refines its response to the growing number of threats from its neighbor to the north.
It ran concurrently with the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises held jointly by the U.S. and South Korean militaries. Those military drills, which include computer simulation-based command post exercises and field training, aim to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and will conclude on Aug. 31.
The public has grown restless in recent months, with citizens saying ahead of the drill that they were unsure what to do once the air-raid sirens blare. South Korean media reported that the government came under fire in May for issuing a false alarm after Pyongyang failed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite. That false alarm triggered confusion, since the city was outside the area predicted to be affected.
Wednesday’s drill came a day after the North announced that it would make a second attempt at putting a spy satellite into orbit before the end of the month. Tokyo, Seoul and Washington have called for Pyongyang to halt those plans, adding that they were cooperating with other concerned nations.
Many citizens have accepted that they will have only minutes to respond in the event of a North Korean missile launch or airstrike, since Seoul is just 50 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas.
North Korea maintains close to 6,000 artillery pieces in range of major South Korean cities, including Seoul, according to experts.
Pyongyang has launched more than 100 missiles since last year, and leader Kim Jong Un visited a naval unit recently to oversee the launch of “strategic cruise missiles” after the first trilateral meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The three discussed regional security issues, including North Korea’s rapid expansion of its missile and nuclear programs, and agreed to a consultation mechanism in the event of a crisis.
“Any provocations or attacks against any of our three countries will trigger a decision-making process of this trilateral framework, and our solidarity will become even stronger,” the South Korean president said during the summit.
The drill, based on a North Korean air raid scenario and lasting 20 minutes from 2 p.m., required South Korea’s 51 million residents to practice evacuating to shelters or underground spaces such as train stations.
While government officials took part in the drill, posts to social media appeared to show that a number of residents, businesses, shops and restaurants went about business as usual, largely ignoring the drill.
The drill was also the first to be held after the duration of air-raid siren warning was changed, reducing it from three minutes to one, the Yonhap news agency reported.
It was part of a larger exercise by the South Korean government as it refines its response to the growing number of threats from its neighbor to the north.
It ran concurrently with the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises held jointly by the U.S. and South Korean militaries. Those military drills, which include computer simulation-based command post exercises and field training, aim to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and will conclude on Aug. 31.
The public has grown restless in recent months, with citizens saying ahead of the drill that they were unsure what to do once the air-raid sirens blare. South Korean media reported that the government came under fire in May for issuing a false alarm after Pyongyang failed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite. That false alarm triggered confusion, since the city was outside the area predicted to be affected.
Wednesday’s drill came a day after the North announced that it would make a second attempt at putting a spy satellite into orbit before the end of the month. Tokyo, Seoul and Washington have called for Pyongyang to halt those plans, adding that they were cooperating with other concerned nations.
Many citizens have accepted that they will have only minutes to respond in the event of a North Korean missile launch or airstrike, since Seoul is just 50 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas.
North Korea maintains close to 6,000 artillery pieces in range of major South Korean cities, including Seoul, according to experts.
Pyongyang has launched more than 100 missiles since last year, and leader Kim Jong Un visited a naval unit recently to oversee the launch of “strategic cruise missiles” after the first trilateral meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The three discussed regional security issues, including North Korea’s rapid expansion of its missile and nuclear programs, and agreed to a consultation mechanism in the event of a crisis.
“Any provocations or attacks against any of our three countries will trigger a decision-making process of this trilateral framework, and our solidarity will become even stronger,” the South Korean president said during the summit.