Response to 'New Threats,' Including AI-Based Fake News and Cyberattacks, Strengthened in Ulchi Exercise

[Financial News]  The government strengthened training in this year's Ulchi Exercise to respond to emerging security threats, including fake news using artificial intelligence (AI), cyberattacks, and drone terrorism. It plans to reflect shortcomings identified during the exercise in the Chungmu Plan and wartime guidelines for the public.
The government held a post-exercise review meeting for the 2026 Ulchi Exercise on the 18th to assess the results and identify areas for improvement. More than 580,000 people from over 4,000 institutions, including central and local administrative agencies and public institutions, took part in this year's Ulchi Exercise.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said, "Thorough preparation and repeated training are the way to protect the lives and safety of the people," and instructed relevant agencies to closely analyze problems identified during the exercise and incorporate them into the Chungmu Plan and various manuals.
This year's exercise covered not only existing wartime transition procedures but also scenarios reflecting changes in the recent security environment, including the spread of AI-based fake news, cyberattacks, and terrorism involving drones. It focused on reviewing each agency's response systems and coordination procedures to maintain government functions and minimize harm to the public during a crisis.
A new training exercise was also conducted for a meeting of relevant ministers chaired by the deputy prime minister to review the whole-of-government decision-making system. The exercise simulated procedures for multiple ministries to share information and coordinate response measures during a national emergency as closely as possible to an actual situation.
The exercise also reviewed procedures for detecting, identifying, and countering drone threats, as well as the cooperation system among relevant agencies. Assuming scenarios in which drones approached or attempted to attack major facilities, officials checked each agency's responsibilities and on-site response procedures.
The government plans to analyze problems revealed during the exercise and revise each agency's Chungmu plans. The Chungmu Plan specifies how government agencies will manage personnel, supplies, and administrative functions in preparation for war or a national emergency.
The wartime guidelines for the public, which outline evacuation and reporting procedures to follow during emergencies such as air raids or cyber disruptions, will also be revised to reflect current conditions. As threat methods change with technological developments such as AI and drones, newly emerging scenarios will be incorporated into the guidelines.
Prime Minister Han emphasized the importance of follow-up measures, saying, in effect, "An exercise must not end with the exercise itself," and urged relevant agencies to continue monitoring the implementation of improvement measures.

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter