North Korea Conducts Evacuation Drills Amid War Threats

Rare for North Korea to Conduct Such Drills in Cities

Reports out of the region say that North Korea has begun carrying out evacuation and black out drills in cities and towns across the country, getting the population prepared to react in the case of a surprise attack.

There’ve been mounting tensions between the US and North Korea for several months, and repeated US threats to carry out a unilateral attack on the nation. Some officials say it’s unsurprising that North Korea is taking the threats seriously and carrying out drills.

Some South Korean officials, however, say that the move is surprising, and that its nearly unprecedented for North Korea to conduct drills like this, as they give the appearance to the public of vulnerability to an external threat.

President Trump has threatened repeatedly to “totally destroy” North Korea, and Defense Secretary James Mattis is visiting South Korea this weekend talking up an “effective and overwhelming” military action against them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.