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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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 Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:08 am Post subject: Why were so many "old hands" shocked today? |
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I understand that the air-raid sirens etc. may have shocked a lot of newbies in Korea, but the 민방위 flags have been up all week; why were so many expat 'old timers' shitting their pants this afternoon?
I was shocked to read The Marmots Hole today and discover that they collectively worried the end was nigh. This is the number one source for penninsula-related news for expats in Korea? Really?
If one had failed to see the ubiquitous flags EVERYWHERE, then all one had to do was turn on a TV or radio to learn that it was only a drill.
Given the situation I sort of understand the collective jumpiness, but what I don't get is the web's foremost expat think tank being similarly startled.
Perhaps someone could enlighten me. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:09 am Post subject: |
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I sure heard them- LOUD and clear.
How often do they conduct these drills? |
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jaganath69
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:22 am Post subject: |
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| Perhaps the fact that most of them are republicans and see boogie men everywhere? |
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insamjunkie
Joined: 04 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:24 am Post subject: |
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...
Last edited by insamjunkie on Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:27 am Post subject: Re: Why were so many "old hands" shocked today? |
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| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
Given the situation I sort of understand the collective jumpiness, but what I don't get is the web's foremost expat think tank being similarly startled.
Perhaps someone could enlighten me. |
I read it as well, and I thought sort of the same thing. I won't say it didn't startle me. I was outside, standing on the roof of a building and talking with some people with the sirens sounded. We'd made the appointment for that time, and it didn't occur to anyone that it might have done to schedule it later or earlier. Most people knew what it was in an instant, and the first thing I did was reconfirm the date on my watch. Yep, the 16th. (would have been held yesterday if it hadn't been a Sunday)
What do I think about the reaction on Marmot's Hole? Not sure. There was a time this was a monthly procedure, and it was FAR more of a production number, too. Halting traffic, everyone off the streets, even everyone out of highrise office buildings. The civil defence drills back in the day were no joke. They would have radio enactments of bombing raids with all the sound effects, they'd have male & female voice actors playing various roles, shrieking when the machine gun mowed them down, screaming at the top of their lungs into the microphones. Damn, that was LOUD and unnerving. All that going on while you're huddled in an office or under the building, waiting for the all-clear siren. 
Maybe some of the old-hands on Marmot's aren't so old. Or maybe they'd forgotten what it was like, or it just caught them off-guard. I dunno. Korea hasn't staged had a proper drill in ... when was the last time? |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, I must be deaf. 2 years in Seoul, 2 years in Uijeoungbu...and I never heard these sirens. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| This is the first proper drill in the time I've been here.... but yeah I was suprised the Marmot's guys went off the flags were out! |
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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| princess wrote: |
| Well, I must be deaf. 2 years in Seoul, 2 years in Uijeoungbu...and I never heard these sirens. |
Ditto, I have no idea what these people are going on about. And I'm not deaf, the fruit-truck guy wakes me up from 3 blocks away. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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The last time I heard an air-raid drill going on was back in 2000. 6 years ago. About a month after I arrived in Korea.
I was very surprised to read in the last couple of days that these air-raid drills have been happening every month on the 15th. I haven't been aware of a single one since 2000. Must have just been where I have lived since then.
I was under the impression that the air-raid drills were stopped in 2000 as a side-effect of the 'Sunshine Policy'. I assumed they were deemed unneccessary because everybody was best friends forever and ever.
So, yeah. For about 45 seconds yesterday I thought something serious might be happening.
Little triangle flags???? I'm way too busy dodging scooters and ajumma's, and leering at hot women to notice little flags!!! |
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tweeterdj
Joined: 21 Oct 2005
Location: Gwangju
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| Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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| well here in mokpo there sure weren't any flags around. kinda gave me the willies, but then i realized where i lived. and there was one fighter flying over. just one. more annoying than anything. but no flags. |
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