Anti-terror G20 exercises
By Shim Hyun-chul
The South Korean military is stepping up its efforts to defend against any possible terror activity intended to hinder the hosting of the G20 Summit slated for Nov. 11-12 in Seoul.
As part of the efforts, Special Forces of the Army demonstrated their training exercises at a base in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 16, under the direction of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hwang Eui-don.
The exercise included several terrorism scenarios, such as the removal of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rescue of a bus and an aircraft hijacked by terrorists, and attacking snipers.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of National Defense said in a parliamentary report that it was preparing against nine types of possible military provocation during the global economic forum, in areas including the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, and the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.
The ministry plans to dispatch troops around the summit venue, accommodation facilities and airport. At sea, the maritime police and the military plan to jointly search and block suspicious vessels and conduct anti-submarine operations.
Some 50,000 police officials have been involved in the G20 security measures, 10,000 of them coming from non-Seoul regions.
Also, from the beginning of next month until the end of the summit, all police officers in Seoul are to be restricted from leave unless for exceptional reasons.
Authorities say Pyongyang has in the past tried to upstage international events staged by its neighbor, citing provocations around the time of the 1988 Olympic Games and the 1986 Asian Games, both in Seoul.
Troops slide down a footrope from a helicopter onto a building.
Specially-trained forces enter a building through its windows in an exercise at an anti-terrorism training course in Gyeonggi Province, ahead of the November G20 summit.
Troops infiltrate a bus in a practice run.
Special Forces dispose of suspected chemical weapons in a training session in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.