South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City will conduct an air-raid civil defense drill across the region from 2 p.m. Thursday for 20 minutes, in conjunction with the Ulchi CPX exercise.
The drill, held simultaneously nationwide, is designed to sharpen residents' ability to respond quickly and safely in a real attack scenario. It will focus on evacuating residents upon an air-raid alert and educating the public on emergency response procedures.
At 2 p.m., an air-raid siren will sound for one minute, signaling residents to move to the nearest civil defense shelter or a safe below-ground space. Shelter locations can be found by searching "civil defense shelter" on Naver or Daum portals, or through the Safety Stepping Stone app and navigation apps including Naver Maps, Kakao Maps and T-map.
Once inside a shelter, residents will listen to radio broadcasts and receive instruction on emergency response guidelines. An alert will be issued at 2:15 p.m. to lift movement restrictions, and the drill will conclude with the all-clear signal at 2:20 p.m.
The drill will also include instruction on locating shelters and wearing gas masks, alongside a fire lane clearance exercise to ensure emergency vehicles can move freely — all aimed at strengthening residents' disaster response capabilities.
Voluntary participation drills will also take place at heavily frequented public facilities such as hypermarkets, department stores and movie theaters. Staff and visitors will be notified through in-facility announcements and directed to evacuate quickly to below-ground areas or other safe locations within the building.
Ahead of the drill, the city will inspect civil defense shelters and alert systems, and station guides along evacuation routes and at shelter entrances to ensure residents can evacuate safely.
Given the August heat, the city is also preparing heat illness prevention measures, including drinking water supplies, and has drawn up safety management plans for elderly residents, people with disabilities and others who may have difficulty evacuating.
"As the first civil defense drill since the integration of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju, this exercise carries special meaning — protecting the lives and safety of our residents as one unified safety community," said Kim Jun-young, head of the city's public safety office. "We ask all citizens to actively participate in the evacuation and emergency response training, which simulates a real air-raid situation."
sij@heraldcorp.com
