South Koreans Rudely Awakened By Urgent Wartime Alert To Evacuate To A Bomb Shelter

South Korean citizens and visitors in Seoul were rudely awakened by an emergency alert from Seoul, saying immediate evacuation was in order.

At around 6:30 am KST, South Korean citizens residing in Seoul and the surrounding areas received an ominous emergency alert from the Seoul government, telling them that immediate evacuation was in order.

[Seoul] At 6:32 am, an evacuation warning for the Seoul area was launched. Citizens, prepare to evacuate and let the children and elderly evacuate first.

— Urgent alert

The alert was also shown on the news, covering the bottom third of the screen and telling viewers in the area to find the nearest evacuation shelter.

South Korea was not the only place to get the warning, as Japanese residents in Okinawa also received the alert to evacuate, with the news anchor stating, “Missile fired. Missile fired. North Korea has been seen firing a missile. Hide in the interior of a building or underground.”

일본은 오키나와 지역에 J얼럿 발령.

‘미사일 발사. 미사일 발사. 북한이 미사일을 발사한 것으로 보입니다. 피난하세요. 건물 안 또는 지하로 피난하도록 하십시오.’ pic.twitter.com/pH3PKsCy7V

— @HANBINIZM (@HANBINIZM) May 30, 2023

While there was some concern, most South Korean citizens were confused or unworried, with minimal reaction on the streets. North Korea had publicly announced they would launch a missile carrying their first military spy satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11. It even notified the International Maritime Organization about its plans.

Twenty-two minutes later, The Ministry of the Interior and Safety released an update stating that the warning from Seoul was false.