Originally posted by Bodhi
I suspect they will not allow civilians to play, eh?!?
Actually, part of the exercise is a civil defense and mobilization exercise. So yea, civilians do participate. I'm not sure, but this may be one of the largest recurring civil defense and mobilization exercises in the world. The Israelis probably do this all the time, but not many other countries practice mobilizing their inactive reserves on this sort of scale every year. I don't know how many "real" civilians play, but the civil government has a big role and they actively practice what they'd do in the days leading up to a N. Korean invasion, what they'd do early in the war, and what they'd do when/if we "won", specifically with getting humanitarian aid up to the North before everyone starves. The post-war casualties in the North would likely be about as great as the wartime casualties in the South, if the humanitarian efforts are not immediately effective. If a potential resurgent Korean war dragged into the winter, it would devastate the population in the North. We're talking on the order of 50% or greater casualties among N.K. civilians if it's not settled down enough to run massive aid convoys up North.
That's one reason why "the war" hasn't been settled already... Winning the war isn't the problem. Winning the peace without killing off a few million NK civilians through starvation would not be easy.
The annual military exercises are a big deal in S. Korea. Add on the possibility of having a half dozen special forces helos plop down in your backyard at midnight and stay for a day or so, and it can get really interesting for the populace
