PM calls for drone, AI, cyber attacks in Ulchi exercise scenarios
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting on the upcoming Ulchi civil defense exercise at the Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
This year's Ulchi civil defense exercise should reflect scenarios for drone and cyber attacks and other new types of threats as well as compound disasters amid a rapidly changing security environment, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Thursday.
The annual nationwide exercise will kick off on Aug. 18 for a four-day run, involving some 580,000 officials from about 4,000 central and local government agencies and public institutions, to check and enhance readiness for war and other contingencies.
A nationwide air raid evacuation drill is set for Aug. 20.
"Recently, the security environment has been changing rapidly," Han said during a meeting convened to check preparations for the upcoming exercise. "The war Russia-Ukraine war and armed conflicts in the Middle East show that modern warfare goes beyond military conflicts and can directly threaten the people's daily lives."
"New types of threats, such as artificial intelligence, drones and cyber attacks, are also becoming a reality," she said.
Participating agencies should actively reflect AI, drone and cyber attacks, and compound threats in exercise scenarios to make the drill more realistic and practical, Han said.
"Under the current security environment, the government's response capabilities should encompass not only military operations support, but the maintenance of daily lives and the continuation of state functions," she said.