South Korea Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducts disaster response drills

The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is conducting a two-day joint disaster response drill starting May 21 to prepare for complex emergencies involving aviation control facilities and information technology network failures.

The first phase of the training took place at the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) headquarters in Gimcheon. The drill simulated a scenario where a forest fire caused a power outage, leading to a fire in the information technology room and the simultaneous paralysis of the automobile inspection management system and the national qualification exam management system. Participating agencies, including the Korea Expressway Corporation and the Korea Railroad Corporation, tested emergency response procedures, manual transitions to offline processing, and system recovery using backup data.

The second phase will be held at Gimhae International Airport on May 22. This drill involves approximately 300 participants from 22 agencies, including the Air Force, fire services, and various airlines. The simulation is based on actual disaster cases, imagining a scenario where primary and backup air traffic control systems fail during severe weather, leading to a temporary suspension of services and potential aircraft accidents. The goal is to verify crisis alert levels, situation management, and real-time information sharing among related organizations.