2024-03-15 06:36:31
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Health trainer Park Hwi-bin (22) and graduate student Kim Jeong-ho (30) are ‘preppers’ who usually prepare for disasters.
Article related information
- Reporter, Moon Jun-ah
- Reporter, BBC Korea
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4 hours ago
“I am preparing for permanent residency and citizenship.”
“I am preparing language, money, and technology with the goal of going abroad before the war breaks out.”
There are young people in their 20s and 30s preparing for war on the Korean Peninsula. People who thoroughly prepare for disasters such as nuclear war are called ‘Preppers.’
While wars and conflicts are taking place around the world, including in Ukraine and Israel, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are also increasing.
Following North Korea’s series of missile launch tests, some voices are concerned about the possibility of military conflict as Chairman Kim Jong-un recently defined South Korea as the ‘number one hostile country.’
Kuns, an online and offline store that sells survival kits such as actual disaster bags, said, “The number of people looking for survival kits has increased a lot recently.”
‘Prepper’ gatherings have also become more active. The open KakaoTalk room, which had less than 50 people when it was opened two years ago, now has more than 400 people.
Photo source, BBC, ‘World War and Disaster Information Sharing Center’ opened KakaoTalk room
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From January to February, the number of people who sensed the threat of war and asked questions increased in the KakaoTalk room where the ‘World War and Disaster Information Sharing Center’ was opened.
‘The number of people preparing for war and disaster has increased’
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Hwibin Park and Jeongho Kim are introducing 72-hour survival bag items.
Woo Seung-yeop, director of the Urban Disaster Research Institute, who has been researching urban disaster survival for over 15 years, said, “Compared to 10 years ago, the number of people preparing for war and disasters in Korea has definitely increased,” and especially the phenomenon of heightened tensions in inter-Korean relations in election years. This was cited as the reason for the increase in ‘preppers’.
Director Wu also emphasized that with the election of pro-US and anti-China Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-de in Taiwan’s presidential election, US-China relations are worsening and concerns about China’s invasion of Taiwan are growing. His analysis is that the number of people feeling anxious about war is increasing as it is directly related to the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
In fact, according to the ‘National Unification Awareness Survey’ conducted by the KBS Public Media Research Institute in August 2023 on 1,675 adult men and women aged 19 and older nationwide, 75.2% of respondents (23.8% ‘very anxious’, ‘very anxious’ about the current security situation) ‘A little anxious’ (51.4%) responded ‘I am anxious’. The opinion that the security situation is ‘uneasy’ increased by 5.0% points compared to 2022 (70.2%), and has shown a continuous increase over the past three years.
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Mr. Park Hwi-bin said, “I felt threatened by the war in Ukraine and North Korea’s recent continuous provocations, so I prepared a survival bag that can last for at least three days.”
Park Hwi-bin (24) said he felt the “threat” of war for the first time while watching the war in Ukraine.
He said, “I saw a video of white phosphorus falling like fireworks in an area where civilians live. They say that if you hit it, a person will burn to death… “I thought that such a terrible situation could happen in our daily lives, so I decided to do the minimum preparation possible,” he said.
Ms. Park also packed a women’s essential survival bag with items that are easily available in everyday life. He also posted this process on his YouTube channel for other women.
Also, last January, I completed an advanced course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for the general public. “Women don’t have many opportunities to learn safety training or how to respond to emergency situations,” he said, adding that if they seek out life-related studies on their own, it will be of great help in emergency situations.
‘Prepper’ survival essentials
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Items in the survival bag that Kim Jeong-ho actually prepared. Rice, canned food, radio, flashlight, sleeping bag, etc.
Kim Jeong-ho (30) has prepared a ’72-hour survival bag’ that can last for about three days in preparation for natural disasters and climate crises such as earthquakes, fires, and heavy rains, as well as his anxiety about war.
The bag contains emergency food, water, sleeping bags, other daily necessities, and emergency medicine.
We also prepared body armor and gas masks. He said, “There may be a shortage of protective gear provided by the military and there is a lot of outdated equipment,” and “As a reserve force, I have prepared for a situation where I do not know when I will be conscripted.”
In addition, he said, when going to a designated location for mobilization, “I also have a map and compass with me in case the basic infrastructure is not working, my cell phone does not work, or public transportation is difficult to use and I have to walk.”
Additionally, his survival bag contained food, food, a fire starter, a radio, batteries, a flashlight, and soap.
Some people thought that survival bags alone were not enough and were considering moving to other parts of the country or preparing for permanent residency or citizenship abroad.
Mr. A, a college student in his early 20s, said, “Recently, the risk of war has increased, so I am preparing in earnest,” and “I am preparing language, money, and technology with the goal of going abroad before a war breaks out.” He said in a ‘survivalist’ open KakaoTalk room. .
He said, “I heard that permanent residency in Paraguay can be obtained for 10 million won,” and “I am considering one of Australia, Canada, and the United States for citizenship.” During this process, he said, “My family says it’s an unusual situation, but I’m ignoring it and preparing for it.”
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Items in the survival bag that Park Hwi-bin actually prepared. Nurungji, nuts, chocolate bars, emergency medicine, hot packs, etc.
‘War anxiety or war insensitivity?’
Some say that the views of these ‘preppers’ are somewhat exaggerated.
Mr. B, a college student, said, “No matter how bad the inter-Korean relationship has become these days, I have never worried about war,” and added, “I just live the same daily life.”
Mr. C, an office worker in his early 30s, complained that when he said that he packed a survival bag and stockpiled canned food at home, “my friends made fun of him, calling him ‘sensitive’ and ‘anxious.’”
Mr. Kim also said that when he bought survival-related items, he was criticized by saying, “My mother was disgusted,” and, “Aren’t you spending a lot of money on something that doesn’t matter?”
However, he replied, “When you go on an overseas trip, if you board a passenger plane, isn’t it equipped with everything inside, such as life jackets, oxygen masks, and seat belts? Buying such (safety) equipment is the same as wearing a seat belt.”
Mr. Park said, “Other people may think it is unusual, but to me, it is a kind of insurance because it is connected to survival. There is no need to be ashamed. It is related to life, isn’t it?”
Director Woo said that the majority of Koreans are “suffering from war insensitivity” and cited the “collective self-defense mechanism” as the reason. In other words, we unconsciously distort reality to reduce anxiety.
He added, “Because the Korean Peninsula is so small, if there is chaos, there is no place to evacuate, and if you experience any danger or warning for a long time, it becomes chronic, and you tend to overlook dangerous situations because you feel like you know this well.”
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Mr. Kim said, “Recently, there have been people who feel anxious (about the international situation), so it would be better to concentrate on their work but prepare as little as possible. I hope that their lives are not infringed too much by anxiety.”
What is the actual possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula?
Robert Carlin, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and Dr. Siegfried Hecker expressed concern in a joint contribution to ’38 North’, a media outlet specializing in North Korea, last January, saying, “The situation on the Korean Peninsula is more dangerous than at any time since early June 1950.”
On the other hand, former Special Operations Commander Jeon In-beom dismissed the probability of war on the Korean Peninsula as “1%” in an interview with BBC Korea.
However, he emphasized, “It is more than 0%,” and added, “The risk of all-out war this year is not high, but the possibility of an accidental conflict expanding is higher than ever.” He then predicted, “If North Korea acquires the capability to launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. mainland within 5 to 10 years, tensions on the Korean Peninsula will further increase.”
General Jeon said that if war actually breaks out, “North Korea will cause confusion to our troops by infiltrating cyber attacks, suicide drones, missiles and chemical bombs, special operations forces, and light infantry units using tunnels, and will cause confusion to our troops and increase the reinforcement power of foreign countries, including the United States.” “They may try to occupy the Korean Peninsula or at least the metropolitan area before they arrive,” he explained.
Director Woo also predicted, “Although a full-scale war like the Korean War will not occur, there is a possibility that provocations can occur in the northern part of Gyeonggi-do, as was the case during the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.”
He predicted that tensions on the Korean Peninsula would increase in conjunction with Korea’s general election in April and Taiwan’s presidential inauguration in May.
In particular, “In April and May of this year, five aircraft carriers, nearly half of the U.S. military’s total nuclear-powered aircraft carrier force (11 ships), will gather for the first time in the western Pacific area around the Korean Peninsula,” he said. “More than five US aircraft carriers will gather in one sea area at the same time.” “This is the first time since the Gulf War,” he emphasized.
Director Woo pointed out that while foreign countries are raising warning lights about the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula, “our country is the only one ignoring (reality).”
What are the things you must take with you in case of an emergency?
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A book that provides tips on how to evacuate in the event of a disaster and how to pack a survival bag.
General Jeon said, “Weakening the readiness posture for the sake of peace is a cowardly peace.” He added, “All citizens need to be mentally equipped with the idea that war can break out at any time and that they should not entrust their country’s defense to others, and that is more important than any weapon. “He said.
He selected “self-powered radio, water, and duct tape” as three essential items for war and disaster preparedness.
A radio is needed in case communication fails, and he emphasized the importance of water, saying, “You can survive without food for 7 days, but if you do not drink water for 3 days, your life is in danger.” Additionally, duct tape has a variety of uses, such as protecting wounds, stopping bleeding, or repairing clothes, so it is a good idea to have it on hand.
Director Woo explained that kimchi vinyl is very useful in times of disaster. He said, “In case of a fire, if you don’t have a gas mask, you can cover yourself with kimchi plastic and breathe for about 5 minutes, so you can escape to a safe zone. In case the water supply is cut off, if you get water from the shower inside the kimchi plastic, you can drink about 100 liters of water. “I can accept it,” he explained. The price is 1,000 won for about 5 pieces, so it is inexpensive, versatile, and easily available to anyone.
Above all, “We need to recognize that the world we live in can easily be broken, and make plans in advance with our families (about meeting places, evacuation methods, etc.) in case the world could turn upside down tomorrow morning.” “He added.
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