I woke up at 6:32 a.m. Wednesday at the siren sound. After finding it's not a fire alarm in my apartment, I immediately turned on the television and connected to internet portals to find out what happened. At 6:41 a.m., an emergency disaster message arrived on my smartphone, advising Seoul citizens to prepare for evacuation starting with the young and the elderly. That's what Seoul citizens experienced for nine minutes yesterday morning.

But I could not find the reason for the alarms — and how and where to evacuate. Some citizens hurriedly packed a few necessities and others returned home. Then, broadcast media and the internet delivered the Joint Chiefs of Staff's announcement on North Korea's firing of a projectile toward the south. Naver shut down for a few minutes due to traffic. At 7:03 a.m., my smartphone rang again to deliver the message from the Interior Ministry, which said the siren sound from the Seoul Metropolitan Government was a mistake. The 31 minutes from the siren sound to the ministry's text message exposed our immature preparedness for North Korean provocations.

Seoul citizens were relieved to find the projectile was not a North Korean missile. But they instantly wondered what if it had been a real air raid. The North fired the projectile at 6:27 a.m. and our military detected it at 6:29 a.m. and the Seoul city government rang the siren at 6:32 a.m. It took five minutes from the rocket launch to the siren sound — and nine more minutes until the emergency disaster message. It takes only two minutes for a North Korean missile to hit Seoul.

If our military fails to intercept mid-air, a number of missiles and shells can fall on the capital. In that case, five minutes — or more specifically 14 minutes from the launch — is quite a long time. The government must shorten the time to detect, affirm and issue alarms. Otherwise, warnings are useless.

The government also must streamline the warning delivery system. The text message Tokyo sent to residents in Okinawa yesterday morning included detailed guidelines on evacuation, which sharply contrasted with our warning system. After the Interior Ministry blamed Seoul city for "doing an unnecessary job," the city insisted it "did the right thing." Whatever the case, people are confused and embarrassed. What happened on Wednesday morning only affirmed what the government and the people should do in times of emergency. South Korea is technically still at war with North Korea. The government and people must not forget that.

Source: Yonhap News Agency