Hwaseong City Conducts First National Drill on 'North Korean Refugee Protection'

Gyeonggi Province and Hwaseong City conducted a 2026 Eulji Exercise provincial-level practical drill on the theme of wartime North Korean refugee protection at the Hwaseong City Agricultural Technology Center on the 19th. The provincial-level representative drill is an occasion to inspect emergency preparedness posture through practical drills by city and county units.

Choo Mi-ae, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said before the drill, "This is a meaningful occasion where we are conducting the first practical drill in the nation on the theme of North Korean refugee protection." She added, "In a national crisis such as war, the state must not only respond militarily but also fulfill the important duty of ensuring safe movement and protection of civilians."

The drill proceeded in the following order: subject presentations by relevant agencies including the Ministry of Unification and the United States-Korea Combined Forces Command, a presentation on Gyeonggi Province's refugee shelter operation preparations and cooperation methods, and a presentation on the Korean Red Cross's wartime refugee support measures.

Subsequently, drills were conducted assuming a wartime scenario, including procedures for registering North Korean refugees rescued through nearby coastal areas at a temporary assembly point in Hwaseong City, temporary assembly point operation and situational response drills assuming some refugees' complaints and disturbances, and fire outbreaks due to flammable material spills.

Provincial and Hwaseong City officials, military and police, and the fire and disaster headquarters deployed in the scenario checked organic cooperation between agencies including crowd control, order maintenance, and fire suppression and decontamination, and familiarized themselves with step-by-step response procedures appropriate to each situation.

After completing the drill, Governor Choo Mi-ae said, "When we conduct emergency drills like this, everyone comes to appreciate the value of peace," and emphasized, "Security crises come without warning. Unprepared responses only cause greater confusion. To preserve peace, we must always train, cooperate, and stand together."