The 'Eulji Freedom Shield' Training to Protect Gyeongnam Residents Begins Amid Crisis!

From the 22nd for 4 days, 26 organizations and groups, over 25,000 participants

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, is inspecting the preparation status for the 2022 Eulji Exercise in front of the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] From the 22nd to the 25th, Gyeongsangnam-do will conduct the 2022 Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise together with 26 related organizations including civilian, government, military, police, and fire departments.

Marking its 54th year, the Ulchi exercise is a comprehensive national crisis management training designed to establish a perfect national emergency preparedness posture through practicing national crisis management and wartime transition procedures in response to local provocations before war, as well as total national war exercises after the outbreak of war.

This year’s Ulchi exercise, renamed as Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), involves over 25,000 participants and is conducted in conjunction with the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, conducted an emergency assembly for all public officials at 6 a.m. on the 22nd and presided over the initial situation briefing meeting at 9:30 a.m.

To ensure practical training, Gyeongsangnam-do analyzed the results of last year’s Ulchi exercise during the preparation phase to supplement the Chungmu implementation plan and expanded participation of institutions closely related to citizens’ daily lives in preparation for wartime.

Through internal exercises, all public officials are trained to master wartime mission execution procedures for maintaining government functions, stabilizing citizens’ lives, and supporting military operations during wartime. Promotional activities are also conducted using various means such as media, internet, and village broadcasts.

During the implementation phase, 331 actual training sessions tailored to local characteristics will be conducted to provide citizens with practical, life-oriented training in disaster and wartime situations.

The province will also establish a “Security Awareness Promotion Venue” during the Ulchi exercise to raise citizens’ security awareness.

In front of the provincial office plaza, security and rescue equipment exhibitions, survival and CPR experience corners, and security photo exhibitions will be held targeting citizens, public officials, soldiers, students, housewives, and infants.

The Ulchi exercise schedule is as follows: on the first day, the 22nd, there will be an unannounced emergency assembly of public officials, an initial situation briefing meeting, wartime transition procedure exercises, and establishment and operation of wartime organizations; on the second day, the 23rd, a discussion on major wartime issues chaired by the governor to verify the effectiveness of the Chungmu plan will take place.

On the third day, the 24th, a joint comprehensive exercise among related organizations will be conducted to prepare for a “drone terror attack at Korea Gas Corporation Tongyeong Base Headquarters”; and on the fourth day, the 25th, a tabletop exercise to practice crisis management responses and procedures that may occur during wartime, including on-site evaluations, will be held.

Governor Park instructed, “Since the Ulchi exercise is being conducted for the first time in five years, please approach it as a realistic training to prepare for enemy provocations, further establish an integrated defense posture, and prioritize protecting the lives and property of citizens.”

A representative from the 39th Division who attended the meeting said, “We are doing our best to establish thorough preparedness through practical training reflecting recent changes in the security situation,” and added, “During the exercise period, citizens will have the opportunity to directly experience over 50 types of military equipment, including armored vehicles, at the provincial office plaza, which will help raise security awareness.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.