[Itaewon Tragedy] Ministry of National Defense: "Training Conducted Considering the Purpose of the National Mourning Period"

Military Personnel and Civilian Employees Affected by Itaewon Tragedy Increase to 5

It has been reported that South Korea and the United States will begin joint military exercises starting on the 5th. The photo shows a US 2nd Infantry Division M1A2 SEP tank crossing a pontoon bridge during the South Korea-US joint river crossing operation training held at the Hantan River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, in December 2015.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 31st that it will review and implement various training situations in consideration of the purpose of the national mourning period due to the Itaewon tragedy.

Moon Hong-sik, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said at the regular briefing on the same day, "Planned trainings will be carefully reviewed in consideration of the purpose of mourning," and added, "If there are parts that do not align with the purpose, they will be postponed or canceled."

According to the Ministry of National Defense, from today until the 4th of next month, a large-scale joint air exercise called 'Vigilant Storm,' involving about 240 Korean and U.S. military aircraft, will be conducted. This exercise is expected to proceed as planned since it is intended to prepare for the severe security situation, including the increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, separate from the Itaewon tragedy.

As a result of the Itaewon tragedy, it has been confirmed that three military personnel and civilian employees have died so far, and the number of injured increased from four as of the previous day to a total of five, including one with minor injuries. The Ministry of National Defense assigned personnel to provide one-on-one support for the funeral procedures of the deceased military personnel and civilian employees, and stated that it is preparing a medical support system, including emergency dispatch support teams, in response to requests from local governments and others.

On the night of the 29th, a crowd gathered on Itaewon Street in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to enjoy Halloween, resulting in a tragedy where 154 people died. The government designated the national mourning period until midnight on the 5th.

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