South Korea stages civil defence drills

A warning siren sounded at 0500GMT in the heart of Seoul to signal the start of the drill. Drivers stopped their vehicles on the roads, and pedestrians headed to a subway shelter.South Korean President Lee Myung-bak observed an anti-biochemical exercise outside the Government Complex Building. Thousands of government officials came out of the building or rushed into a shelter in the basement in a mock attack from the North. The level of North Korean threats has been rising recently. Assuming North Korea fires artillery shells or missiles at Seoul and set fires or caused biochemical problems, our job - with the co-operation from military, government officials and civilians - is to minimize the damages and to be prepared immediately to fight back against the attack, said Yoo Kwon-cheol, chief of Jongro District Fire Station.The two Koreas are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce without a peace treaty. Seouls Yonhap News agency quoted the state disaster management agency as saying military and anti-biochemical vehicles joined the training to enhance public awareness on preparations for possible attacks by the North. The reclusive North puts its first priority on Sungun (Military-first) policy.Tensions rose on the divided peninsula when 46 sailors were killed in an attack last March on a South Korean naval vessel. North Korea, which has denied responsibility, then shelled the southern island of Yeonpyeong last November, killing four people.While the two sides are not talking, analysts have said that the risk of what both sides call a provocation increases, and acts of brinkmanship by the North could include military drills or attack, or the testing of a missile or nuclear device.