S. Korea's foreign ministry issues terrorism response manual

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Monday issued a terrorism response manual to help people better cope with emergency situations when traveling abroad.

The manual comes as terrorists have started to attack so-called soft targets like favorite tourist destinations, shopping malls and transportation hubs, instead of government agencies and military and law enforcement personnel.

The move comes after bomb blasts killed and wounded people in Istanbul and Jakarta as part of efforts to sow confusion and fear.

"There is no place in the world that is safe from terrorism," it cautions.

The manual provides details on how to react when South Koreans come across incidents involving bombs, guns, hostage situations, kidnappings and chemical, biological and radioactive agents.

It said in the event of a bomb, people must be cautious about a second explosion and the possible effect the first blast has had on buildings. It advises travelers to stay down and move away from the area affected and not waste time trying to pick up belongings.

When a shooting takes place, it urged people to fall flat on the ground and quickly grasp what is happening so as to find a safe exit. If escape is difficult, it says people must find sturdy cover like a wall to hide behind.

In the event of a hostage or kidnapping situation, the ministry said travelers should not panic or try to resist but follow orders. It stressed people should not take sudden actions that could cause the situation to deteriorate.

It said more details on how to react to terrorism have been posted on its security website www.0404.go.kr.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
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