South Korea steps up defense drill

SEOUL, South Korea, even by the North Korean attack on one of its Islands last month, Wednesday cocoons, staged what it as his greatest civil defense drills in years, drawing 20% of the country 50 million people, officials said calculated.

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Authorities promote monthly defense drills with extra vigor and 250,000 government officials and civil defence as you take protection against an attack direct - a significant escalation of activity compared with typical monthly drills of the country in the sirens are tested voluntary people and traffic stops for 15 minutes.

Police ordered to people who get streets and school children on Wednesday from its buildings and in u-Bahn-Stationen or the cellars near hustle nearby buildings. Adjoining in some suburbs near the border practiced inhabitants multi-family houses contact click forms a chemical attack to protect.

South Korea's national emergency management agency said the national exercise was the largest in the country since 1975 started such drills.

"We think about 11 million people participated, although we still the number, check," said Kim Kwang Hui, Manager of the civil defence team at the national emergency management agency. "Some people it seriously took not because it was only a drill, but we think it is a good start."

However, most of the South Korean has little or nothing during the drill. Between South Koreans have become partly because it below to gain acceptance played previous Governments in Seoul for economic support in the North you to the threat posed by North Korea.

But November 23 attacking the Yeonpyeong Island, the four South Koreans killed, marked since the 1950s Korea war first attack on South Korean land north and sparked outrage among the South Koreans.

Associated press South Korean police and civilians don gas masks in a massive civil defense drill.

"The Government has let their guard down and suddenly did this because of public criticism," said Lee Mi-sook, a housewife in her late 40s, as from the drill in a fast food restaurant in downtown Seoul was waiting for you. "Their guard lowered people to." We don't normally think like belligerent North Korea can be. "Really the threat has sunk in even with Yeonpyeong Iceland attack."

South Korean officials have announced spend approximately $45 million next year on building new bomb shelters and improvement of other Yeonpyeong and four other islands close to the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, that North Korea disputes. Approximately $ 11 million on new bomb will spend it shelters on the Mainland.

Wednesday said authorities believe it appropriate refuge in underground cellars, parking, garages and u stations - almost 26,000 sites according to the emergency management agency - is the artillery attack that stand to protect 1,400 inhabitants of Yeonpyeong's, most people on the Mainland of the type.

Separately, announced a symbolic protest of the attack South Korea military say to put it a church, turning on a structure in the heavily guarded would allow two land border. North Korea protested such lights for years and South Korea over you put up, according to a 2004 deal to stop cross-border psychological operations.

Thursday's drill was something disabled because some discouraged from left cold weather, the lowest temperature in winter so far, cars and buildings enter how you have been asked to do, said the authorities.

"It is not mandatory for the people out of cars and buses, shelters, but we expect that you move voluntarily there," said young-Jae Lim, a government workers in Seoul's Namdaemun market area waving a flag are trying to protect people was direct.

Taxi drivers in the early il moved on for 15 minutes near a u station during the drill. Mr in the, 67 years old, said people used to seriously civil defense when he was young. "In the past people were pretty good membership of the drill," he said. "We should have more exercises in the future."

-Kyong AE Choi contributed to this article.

Write toEvan Ramstad at evan.ramstad@wsj.com

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