Aircraft flyovers in central Seoul cause confusion, fear
Republic of Korea Army Apache attack helicopters fly over Seoul, Monday, during a tactical flight training exercise. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Lee Hyo-jin
Military aircraft spotted in the skies above Seoul recently have left residents confused and scared, with some mistaking the roaring sounds of fighter jets for a North Korean invasion.
The South Korean Army's Apache attack helicopters conducted a tactical flight training exercise over central Seoul, including the areas near City Hall and Seoul Station, Monday morning.
“The helicopters were so loud and they flew quite near the office buildings. My colleagues and I got a little nervous,” said an office worker surnamed Yoo, 32, who works in central Seoul.
Although he received a notice from the Seoul Metropolitan Government about the training in advance, he did not expect the helicopters to fly so close to his office.
“I received the text alert around 9 a.m., which read that a flyover will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. across Seoul. This is too vague, I think they should have given some detailed information,” Yoo said.
Republic of Korea Army Apache attack helicopters fly over Seoul, Monday, during a tactical flight training exercise. Yonhap
Monday's flyover was a part of the South Korean military's preparations to hold a major festival commemorating Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1. The ceremony will consist of various events, including a showcase of Apache helicopters' tactical maneuvers as well as the Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team's celebratory flyover.
In preparation for the ceremony, the Black Eagles conducted training exercise from Wednesday to Friday last week. But citizens were baffled by the loud noise caused by the flight team, especially on Thursday, a day after North Korea had fired two ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.
An elementary school teacher in Yangcheon District surnamed Lee said the thundering noise caused by the flight exercise caused commotion in the classroom on Thursday morning.
Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team holds a training flight in the skies over Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
“My sixth grade students got scared by the loud noise, with some assuming it to be a North Korean attack or a plane crash. I had to explain to them that it's just a flight exercise,” she recalled.
Some residents living near the capital did not receive Seoul city's notice about the event.
“I was so surprised by the large noise, because I initially didn't know what it was. For seconds, I thought it was a real North Korean invasion, because I heard on the news that the North fired several missiles recently,” said a resident of Incheon surnamed Baek, 29, who was in Mapo District in Seoul on Thursday afternoon.
She added, “I think I didn't get the alerts sent from Seoul city because I was at home in Incheon that morning.”
The Ministry of National Defense said it is making continuous efforts to minimize confusion among citizens about the training flights.
“We are doing our best to notify people about the flight exercises, although it can be difficult for the news to reach everybody,” a ministry official said.
The official explained that the ministry has issued a series of press releases to the media prior to the training flights, and asked for cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and six district offices in the capital to inform the residents about the potential noise.