Gov't to hold Ulchi civil defense drill in August

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- The annual Ulchi civil defense exercise will kick off for a four-day run nationwide in August in conjunction with a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States, the interior ministry said Tuesday.

The upcoming 55th Ulchi exercise will begin on Aug. 21, involving some 580,000 officials from about 4,000 city, county and ward governments, public institutions and others across the nation to check and enhance their readiness for war or other contingencies, according to the ministry.

The Ulchi exercise was launched in 1969 following a raid of North Korean commandos on the presidential residence in Seoul the previous year.

This year's exercise will include mock emergency summons, drills to respond to mock cyberterrorism, drone attacks or nuclear threats and inspection of the country's defense system against terrorist drone attacks on key state facilities.

The civil exercise will be held in tandem with a combined South Korea-U.S. military exercise to be hosted by the Combined Forces Command, and also include drills to counter jamming attacks and to restore damaged airport and seaport facilities in collaboration with armed forces, the ministry said.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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