South Koreans Stay Indifferent as Nation Holds Rare Air Raid Simulation

In light of North Korea’s increasing nuclear and missile threats, South Korea will perform its first statewide air defense exercises in six years on Wednesday. Some regions will compel automobiles to pull over while others will need pedestrians to take cover.

In response to the mounting nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, South Korea will perform its first statewide air defense exercises in six years on Wednesday. Some regions will force pedestrians to seek cover while others will compel automobiles to pull over.

According to the Interior and Safety Ministry, an air-raid siren will sound at 2 p.m., telling people to leave the streets for around 15 minutes before the warning is reduced.

Drivers are required to pull over to the side of the road in around 200 locations across the country, while pedestrians must proceed directly to a designated shelter or nearby underground space. People will be directed to leave almost 500 supermarkets, theaters, and other public buildings.

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Routine Operations

Facilities for medical care and public transportation will operate normally.

On Tuesday, some community centers in Seoul near apartment buildings used loudspeakers to alert locals to the upcoming drills and beg them to heed the orders that will be broadcast on the radio.

Residents in some areas bordering North Korea should be prepared for extra eventualities, the ministry stated, including chemical, biological, and radiological training, wearing gas masks, and using emergency food rations.

Following an incursion by North Korean commandos into the Seoul presidential compound, the Ulchi civil defense exercises were started. Out of 52 million people, there are around 17,000 shelters erected nationwide.

The training for air defense has not taken place since 2017.

After North Korea’s unsuccessful satellite launch in late May, Seoul came under fire for issuing a fake air raid alarm and evacuation warning even though the city was miles away from the rocket’s trajectory and caused panic among some locals.

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Source: Reuters