President Lee Jae Myung presides over a meeting of his aides at the presidential office in Seoul on Aug. 21, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called for thorough preparations to protect the people as he presided over a meeting on the final day of an annual civil defense exercise, the presidential office said.
The Ulchi civil defense exercise has been under way since Monday for a four-day run, held concurrently with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise jointly held by South Korea and the United States.
In the meeting, Lee stressed the importance of practical drills to ensure the safety of the people while also praising officials for their efforts to enhance national crisis response capabilities and bolster the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture, his office said in a release.
“A country’s most important task is to ensure that people can safely enjoy their everyday lives,” Lee was quoted as saying. “Everyone should fulfill their responsibilities, while remembering that people’s lives will be threatened in the event security wavers.”
Also attending the meeting held at the “B-1 bunker,” which serves as a wartime command center for South Korean forces, were Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung.
Following the meeting, Lee inspected the facility, and met with civil servants and South Korean and U.S. troops who took part in the exercise, according to the presidential office.
(Yonhap)
