A police special operations unit conducts counter-terrorism training at the National Assembly on Aug. 18, 2023, as part of a run-through of the upcoming Ulchi civil defense drill. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The annual Ulchi civil defense exercise kicked off Monday for a four-day run nationwide in conjunction with a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, the interior ministry said.
Some 580,000 officials from about 4,000 city, county and ward governments, public institutions and others across the nation will participate in the exercise to check and enhance their readiness for war and other contingencies, according to the ministry.
The Ulchi exercise was launched in 1969 following a raid by North Korean commandos on the presidential residence in Seoul the previous year.
This year’s exercise will include drills to respond to evolving threats from North Korea, such as nuclear threats, drone attacks, cyberthreats and low-level “gray-zone” provocations, designed to avoid developing into an armed conflict or war.
The exercise will also involve emergency call-ups of civil servants, transitions to wartime administrative modes, drills to counter terror threats against major national institutions and training against “soft terror” targeting civilians, including cyberthreats.
On Wednesday, an anti-air raid civil defense drill will be conducted nationwide for the first time in six years, with the 20-minute drill set for 2 p.m.
The drill will include civil evacuation training and traffic restrictions in an air raid attack scenario.
(Yonhap)
