South Korean PM Calls for Building Emergency Preparedness Amid North Korea Threats

SEOUL:
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for building the government’s emergency preparedness amid North Korea’s evolving threats.

Han issued the call during a meeting with central and local government leaders convened to assess the results of last month’s four-day Ulchi civil defence exercise, Yonhap news agency reported.

“The government must have the emergency preparedness capacity to promptly respond in any circumstance to protect the people’s lives and safety from the ever-intensifying threats from North Korea,” he said, instructing officials to immediately address any flaws in warning systems and evacuation facilities that were revealed through the exercise.

The annual drill took place from August 19-22, involving some 580,000 people at over 4,000 central and local government agencies and public institutions.

The drills were designed to train the government in responding to wartime scenarios, as well as North Korean provocations such as cyberattacks, GPS jamming and launches of trash-filled balloons. In particular, this year’s exercise included simulations of a North Korean nuclear attack for the first time.

The exercise first began in 1968 following a raid by North Korean commandos on the presidential residence in Seoul.

North Korea on Thursday denounced a major military exercise between South Korea and the United States last month, warning the allies will have to pay a “dear price” for what it called “provocative war” drills.