South Korea holds biggest civil defence drills
By DPA, IANSWednesday, December 15, 2010
SEOUL - South Korea Wednesday conducted its largest civil defence drill since these began 35 years ago after a deadly North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island last month.
South Koreans rushed to air raid shelters and other underground facilities, such as subway stations, as air raid sirens sounded across the country, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Drivers were asked to park their cars and rush to shelters during the 15-minute drill as authorities sought to prevent casualties in case of a North Korean attack.
Ten mock North Korean aircraft also flew over South Korea’s largest cities, including Seoul and Pusan, the National Emergency Management Agency said.
People living near the North Korean border were trained on how to respond to a North Korean chemical, biological or radiological attack.
The drill was conducted after the Nov 23 artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island near the two Koreas’ disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. Four South Koreans were killed.
The two neighbours remain technically at war after a ceasefire and not a peace treaty ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
