Police will conduct a counterterrorism drill to protect delegations from each country attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju at the end of next month.
The Korean National Police Agency said it will hold the second domestic general Terror Incident Countermeasures Headquarters drill from 2 p.m. on the 18th.
The Terror Incident Countermeasures Headquarters drill is a counterterrorism exercise that links a command headquarters of senior officials from central ministries with the actual on-site response. The first drill was held at Ulsan Airport on Aug. 19 last year.
This on-site drill will be held at the APEC venue on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, where Minister-level meetings are scheduled. The Incheon Police Agency commissioner will serve as on-site commander, and a total of 200 personnel from 10 agencies, including ▲ Yeongjong Fire Station ▲ 119 Special Response Unit ▲ Siheung Chemical Disaster Joint Disaster Prevention Center ▲ Army Chemical, Biological and Radiological Battalion, will participate.
The drill assumes a scenario in which a drone bomb attack is attempted on vehicles carrying national delegations arriving at the APEC venue, followed by a chemical attack on evacuees. It will proceed from situation assessment and notification to on-site control, emergency evacuation, and rescue operations.
At the same time, the Korean National Police Agency will hold a Terror Incident Countermeasures Headquarters meeting chaired by Acting Commissioner Yu Jae-seong to review the on-site response. Thirty-seven Director General-level officials from nine central ministries, including the Korean National Police Agency, the National Intelligence Service, the National Fire Agency, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will attend to discuss integrated interagency response measures.
Acting Commissioner Yu said, "Cooperation among related agencies is important to effectively respond to terrorism," and added, "Today's drill is meaningful in that government agencies work closely together for public safety and enhance the completeness of detailed responses."