What did Prime Minister Han Seong-sook want included in the Ulchi civil defense exercise scenarios?

Han called for exercise scenarios that reflect drone attacks, artificial intelligence, cyber attacks and compound disasters. She said the drill should be made more realistic and practical by reflecting new types of threats.

When will the Ulchi civil defense exercise and air raid drill take place?

The annual Ulchi civil defense exercise is set to begin on Aug. 18 and run for four days. A nationwide air raid evacuation drill is scheduled for Aug. 20.

How many people and agencies will take part in the Ulchi drill?

About 580,000 officials from roughly 4,000 central and local government agencies and public institutions will participate. The exercise is meant to check and strengthen readiness for war and other contingencies.

PM calls for drone, AI, cyber attacks in Ulchi exercise scenarios

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Summary

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Thursday that this year’s Ulchi civil defense exercise in South Korea should include scenarios for drone, AI and cyber attacks. The nationwide drill begins Aug. 18 for four days, with about 580,000 officials from roughly 4,000 agencies and public institutions taking part. Han said the exercise should reflect compound disasters and help maintain daily life and state functions under a changing security environment.

Key Facts

The exercise will run from Aug. 18 for four days and will involve about 580,000 officials from around 4,000 central and local government agencies and public institutions.
A nationwide air raid evacuation drill is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Han said modern warfare can directly threaten people’s daily lives and cited the war in Ukraine and armed conflicts in the Middle East.
She urged participating agencies to reflect AI, drone and cyber attacks, along with compound threats, in exercise scenarios.
Han said the government’s response capabilities should cover not only military support but also the maintenance of daily lives and the continuation of state functions.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 6, 2026 4:37 pm KST

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.

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