No Shelters for Civilian Use

It has been revealed that there are no first-class emergency shelters granted for civilians into which to evacuate.

This is because 23 first-class emergency shelters with adequate facilities to hide from nuclear attacks are to be used as the base of the wartime administration.

In Seoul, there are no first-class emergency shelters, as well as in the central government building. This is disclosed in the inspection data that administration lawmaker Lee Sang-bae had required from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

According to the NEMA data, first-class emergency shelters comprise an area of 6,793 pyeong. On the assumption that one pyeong accommodates four people, of the total population of 47,170,000, only 0.06 percent, or 27,172 people, can evacuate safely from nuclear attack and its secondary damage.

However, even these shelters are not allowed for regular citizens. An official of NEMA said “During a war, the first-class shelters would be used only for wartime administration headquarters based on the ‘Chungmu Plan,’ which is the administration system in wartime.”

“The first-class shelters are operated as a briefing room where high profile government personnel such as a head of the local administration maintain control of the situation. Ordinary people have no choice but to evacuate to other shelters such as underground passages, building’s basements or subway stations,” he added.

zeitung@donga.com