Seoul to Hold Civil Defense Drill Next Week: Simulates N. Korean Drone, Trash Balloon Attacks

Korean civil defense exercises (Wikimedia Commons/KOREA.NET)

JAKARTA - The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that civil defense drills will be held in Seoul for four days next week, including an air raid evacuation drill on the final day.

The drills are part of the annual Ulchi drills that will be held across the country from Monday to Thursday in an effort to review contingency plans to prepare for war and other national emergencies.

This year's drills will involve simulated drone attacks and the launching of balloons carrying garbage from North Korea, The Korea Times reported on Aug. 16.

In Seoul, about 170 agencies and about 140,000 people will take part in the drills.

The city government will open a war situation room and hold discussions on wartime issues as well as simulation drills. Mayor Oh Se-hoon will lead a meeting on Monday on simulating drone threat situations, officials said.

On Tuesday, a counterterrorism drill will be held at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in eastern Seoul to minimize damage in the event of a drone threat, or a special operations unit infiltration of the multi-purpose facility.

On the last day, an anti-aircraft evacuation drill will be held, where people will be asked to evacuate to the nearest shelter or underground facilities as part of a civil defense drill at 2 p.m.

Cars passing through areas with restricted traffic must stop and pull over under police direction for five minutes after the alarm sounds.

Shelter locations are available on the National Disaster and Safety Portal and the Emergency Alert App.

It is known that the Ulchi drill was launched in 1969 after an attack by North Korean commandos on the presidential residence in Seoul a year earlier.