Air Raid Practice in CheongJu, South Korea

[LOLOLOL32123]

People on the street just don't care ? O.O

[ndnbiker]

I spent two years in South Korea with the US Army in the early 80's. That siren still makes me jump.

[tholbrook89]

imagine what it would feel like for someone who was a child in Europe during ww2 that heard this and distant explosions and seeing the the flickering light from bombs exploding on the horizon in there beds at night. just listen to this video and picture it in your head. i cant imagine how terrifying it must have been, especially for a little kid.

[TownieGarland]

Your video brings back memories.

I lived in Cheong-ju in '97-'98 and have always remembered the haunting sounds of those sirens and the rip of fighter jets flying lower than their normal afternoon training (which woke me from my afternoon, between-classes slumber!) I've always wanted to explain to friends and family what it was like. Now I can show them. I lived near Hyung-jae Apartments in Naedok-dong, or Yulryong-dong (can't remember now). Seems you filmed near there.

Thanks for posting!

[amberlynn6914]

The sirens are 8 port models

[yurikomuro]

good thing North korea doesn't have a functioning air force, nor enough fuel or ammunition to last them a few days.

[yurikomuro]

this is probably what the first 30 minutes of the next Korean war will be like.

[soldierboyz22]

you can hear jets Lol it would be funny if the kids start jumping and screaming ICE CREAM TRUCK! then a nuke goes off

[hexlhieA]

all clear! then everybody starts moving haha so serious!

[Rstraderftw]

Why do they have air raid sirens when the world war is over? Can someone please tell me.

[Damonjager09]

@Rstraderftw Even today there can still be air raids. World War II has nothing to do with it. Air superiority is always the first thing to come into play during an invasion.

[Mondafied]

@Rstraderftw The war is not over. North and South Korea are technically at war.

[bolt2000]

@Mondafied This war has been the longest war ever going on for 60 years now.

[JepJep92]

@bolt2000

not... ever.. there have been longer wars

[kAISER9701]

@Mondafied In actuality, it is South Korea that refused to sign the armistice. However, ROK troops were under unified UN command, so there was no unilateral continuation of hostilities.

[DeputyDaphne]

dear god, this world is a living hell, north korea is just a glimpse of it. o_o

[Taizunx]

Wow lol they are really taking it seriously down there.. We test our sirens here in Denmark once a year, but people don't care shit about it. No one stops in traffic, no one goes inside.. No one follows the warnings. Why? Why would anyone ever attack a country like Denmark =D

[Xboxlivemgear]

@Taizunx

Because Denmark doesn't have a crazy country as it's hat.

[ArekuGuru]

@Xboxlivemgear Then pray Sweden doesn't get a short Korean guerilla fighter as a PM.

[trisemigistus]

@Taizunx Because no one would ever attack a country like Denmark. That's why.

[Droideka133]

did i see a fallout shelter at :33 through 39 ?

[dwarfer777]

the south need to protect themselvs from what ive seen in the news

[etatauri]

RUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

[wifferste]

I remember being kept down at CheongyeCheon stream for about 20 minutes while this drill went on.

[Jared1452]

Sound like Whelen's. Probably Hornets or Whelen omnidirectionals.

[daewooparts]

i got myself a big ass mechanical whelen siren years ago in korea while they tore down a big old military building, they were going to sell it for scrap,but i got it first :P i would love to reconnect it & set it off, or ship it back to the states

[Jared1452]

Could you show us a picture of what it looks like?

[daewooparts]

when i go back to korea i can show you. its big! and i have it inside a 20 ft sea container to keep it out of the elements until i restore it,or ship it back to the states., also the newer sirens made in korea are joint tie ups with either whelen,or federal signal ,depending on the manufacturer,also you can find some older german made sirens,would love to get my hands on one of those :P

[thewerrett]

sometime last month, it was on a Monday morning in Seoul, Korea... I woke up to hear one of these sirens going off. I had no idea they had drills and exercises here... So I literally thought the North was invading... I jumped out o bed and got dressed faster than ive ever done in my life then ran outside. I just stared up in the sky... the sound was terrifying yet so hypnotic. I never want to hear it again.

I didnt half look like an idiot when all the Koreans were just walking about as normal!

[mpwelk]

Seem to be decent drivers in that country, way better than us Americans would have done.

[VisualCSharp]

One of the most haunting sounds mankind can create.

[trip3newton]

Its very Scary. I own a Communications Business in Seoul and I think North Korea is Preparing for a war. We are dreading the Sirens coming on now!

[budw84]

now that north korea is causing trouble, those sirens are no joke

[andrewdemello]

It would be smart if they turned off the cars it would save gas and money.

[umahuma4]

wait till those kids get bombed on

[gomichiganrailmst3k]

Probably not a good idea having those kids outside.

[nashman3265]

Will87 i cant tell if ur for real but when u said that that made me laugh

[freedomfighter213]

hearing the siren is just plain scary...

[RamboVital]

Dude, that rules! The people there really know what they are doing this the warnning siren going off. I wish people would do the same else where. If you think about it but clearing the streets and turning off vechiles. The military can do there thing and incase of an EMP your vechile will likely be still working. You could get out of city much easier that way. South Korea really knows what they are doing, I wish others would learn from them. But yes hearing the Air Raid would still be scary.

[parnabyjgnp]

id be shit scared if sumin lyk that went off in the uk lol.

[flyem05]

Scary. pleased we dont need air raid sirens in the uk!, well not yet anyway!

[kletkerobert]

might be scary but itll sure save ur life i believe u need an air raid system in every city an town to notify ur in danger

[Rmg12]

we do and we have them they just aren't tested regularly.

[Antipwnsurmum]

I'd love to have them over here in the UK! It sucks having no sirens even though I am very close to the Thames. :'( They have sirens in places that would flood less easily than where I live too! it sucks

[flyem05]

Scary. pleased we dont need air raid sirens in the uk!, well not yet anyway!

[SPACE1966GHOST]

im in behind enemy lines... axis of evil

[SPACE1966GHOST]

video game... mercenaries.i wish i was one of those guys.blow up,hijack,kill communist peices of shit. that would be cool

[SPACE1966GHOST]

i wish one day somebody would kill that dictator in north korea... *bam*sniper rifle went off

[SPACE1966GHOST]

communist picks... bastard

[SPACE1966GHOST]

north korea... fuck u

[Siren1000T]

That siren I heared kinda sounded just like a Whelen omni derectanal kind. The wind down was kinda wierd compare to a whelen siren.

[Whelen3016]

Awesome video!

[patmix]

creepy sound , all traffic stop but  where military convoy ?

[dschungmo]

This practice has no military character, it is a practice of and by the civilians.

[dannysmurf]

Unfortunately, it's not much of a practice. Getting everyone to stop their cars and mill about in the street for 60 seconds isn't all that realistic... a real raid would be more chaotic because of the unreality of this "drill" than it would be if there were no practices at all.

[chloroxjello]

Sounded like some F-15's flew by at one point.

[Will87]

yeah, i assume they scramble fighters as part of the drill

[burnout21]

If I was there for the first time I would find those sirens very eerie, considering the tension in that region nowadays.

[spitfire308]

scary

[absolutezero51]

the scary thing is that they better get good at this

[Baleurien]

Don't you guys think there is a scheduled test everyone knows about? I live in the midwest where tornadoes are frequent, and every first wednesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. the sirens are tested. We go about our daily lives. Naturally, if by chance there was a tornado, the whole area would have been informed before the occurance. It's not eerie, it's normal. Like stevem said, "can bever be too safe". I would rather have the practices and tests than risk the equipment failing.

[izatryt]

teh north would reach Seoule on a mtter of hours even with all the defenses and a state of the art south defense. Nothing has changed, the whole southern peninnsula can be reached with artillery and rockets and there is a saturation plan in place by North Korean units .

[mintyman89]

Anti Aircraft turrets are a nice little thing to have if you're expecting an air raid. :D

[eatcerealx]

This gave me the chills.

[BulimicRainbowz]

same here.

[Futants123]

so... What did they do different? I mean I heard sirens... But everyone just kind of hung out...

[wingman358]

Gave me goosebumps.

[TK572]

You its pretty damn terrible that a gvernment would have to start up an air raid siren, iven if it is a test. Its worse that the people have gone through so many tests that they are used to it. It must be a shame to be living near North Korea i must say.

[stevem4545]

Can never be too safe with Kim Jong next door. crazy bastard

[PreparedRunner]

So what happens if the North koreans do invade, it looks like everyone just ignored the sirens. Thats bad to do, because if noone thinks its for real there will be lots of civilian casualties.

[g0dbel0w]

I guess they are fucked then huh.

[mst1988]

lol

[jpklla]

Cheonju is in the middle of the country. Even if the North did attack, everyone would get informed. The North won't attack anyways. Even though Kim Jong Il is a madman, he ain't stupid to assure his own destruction by attacking the South. If the war starts again, the entire peninsula will be destroyed and the civilians will be massacred no matter how each side wants to avoid it. (due to population density)

[DaJek]

it was a practice, its not ignoring. everyone and the cars were to stop and make way for traffic everywhere when the sirens first go on, if you havent noticed. everything went back to normal after the long siren has sounded. you're very unobservant, and yet you're assuming what they're doing

[PreparedRunner]

I am not unobservant, I am seeing it from this camera's view point. I noticed that some people just went on with their daily lifes as if it were nothing. Maybe its just like a fire drill but, I personally would take it a little more seriously.

[sheisandrea]

I remember the first time I heard the air raid go off. I'd only been in the country a few weeks. I thought the North was invading! But as the video showed, the Koreans didn't react and just went on their daily routine. Strange.

[ikeymac]

Sincerely. Before I read kenny park's comment. I was about to just say Eerie. I especially like Boyd's use of every day reality in the film. Despite these warnings, people go on with their lives as usual. They dont have floods or tornadoes or natural disasters in Korea. These sirens are for war and war only. I repeat. Eerie.

[jpklla]

No natural disasters in Korea? Lmao. Did you forget the entire monsoon season its hurricanes?

These sirens for off 4 times a year, simultaneously over the country. Its preparation for...

1. Invasion (obviously)

2. Natural disasters (earthquakes, fires, landslides, etc)

[looseendz79123]

all i have to say is sonamis dont know if i spelled that right

[camer91390]

there are natural disasters in every part of the world. who are you to say they dont.

[kennypark]

Eerie.

[DTbloodred]

I really like your movie.. you're an awesome film maker. :)