Authorities in Seoul plan to build the first civilian bunker capable of withstanding a nuclear attack underneath a public housing complex by 2028, a city government official said, to guard against threats by the North.
The metropolitan government and Seoul Housing and Communities Corp plan the shelter for 999 households designed to withstand nuclear, biological or chemical attacks, the official said.
The bunker in the basement of the housing complex will span 2,147sqm, accommodate up to 1,020 people at a time and be equipped for 14 days of survival.
The Seoul Shinmun newspaper, which first reported the plan, said it was the first such move by a local government in the face of a heightened nuclear threat from neighbouring North Korea.
At a massive military parade on Friday, North Korea displayed its latest ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to targets in South Korea or as far as the United States.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the most realistic path to lowering the risk from the North is to secure a freeze on its manufacturing of nuclear bombs and missiles, but Pyongyang has rejected diplomatic efforts. — Reuters
