USFK to hold evacuation drill for 10,000 noncombatants

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- About 10,000 noncombatant members of the U.S. military
in South Korea are subject this week to a semi-annual evacuation exercise,
according to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
Courageous Channel will take place from Thursday to Saturday across South Korea,
drawing family members of about 28,500 American troops stationed here and
civilians working for the Department of Defense, the USFK said on its Web site.
The exercise, during which only a few dozen volunteers will fly to Japan while
others practice checking into evacuation centers, "is unrelated to any current
events," the USFK said.
Should a conflict arise on the Korean Peninsula that remains in a technical state
of war, the U.S. would evacuate an additional 140,000 from South Korea, including
U.S. civilians and their families.
The U.S. military has been stationed in South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean
ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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