DND concerned over North Korean bomb test

AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday expressed “great concern” over the hydrogen bomb test conducted by North Korea over the weekend, but urged the public to remain calm.

“The proliferation of this weapon increases the tension not only on the Korean peninsula but also adversely affects the peace and security in the whole of Asia,” the DND said in a statement.

While the hydrogen bomb test did not directly affect the country, the government “continues to monitor the situation,” it said.

The department’s Office of Civil Defense (OCD) likened the news of North Korea’s nuclear test to an approaching typhoon.

Assistant Secretary Kristoffer Purisima said the OCD was coordinating with other agencies and local government units (LGUs), particularly those on the country’s eastern seaboard, to ensure public safety.

“There’s no need to panic,” Purisima said in a media briefing in Malacañang on Monday. “I don’t think we’re in the direct line even if Guam is targeted. We’re just preparing.”

Speaking to reporters in Tarlac City on Monday, Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Año said the government always prepared for a “fallout” from the tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Very dangerous

From a military perspective, he said North Korea’s hydrogen bomb test was a cause for concern.

“It’s really very dangerous. But the AFP can only act when there is a real threat and there is already a need for operational decisions to make,” Año said.

“But for now we leave it to the national government and our Foreign Affairs [Department] to make the necessary announcement or comment about what North Korea did yesterday,” he added.

Purisima said the OCD was coordinating with relevant national government agencies to ensure the people’s safety.

North Korea on Sunday said that it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test of what it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch a salvo of missiles in the sea near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Purisima said the OCD would coordinate with LGUs on the country’s eastern seaboard, including Cagayan Valley, the Bicol region and Eastern Visayas, to make sure they were prepared for any eventuality.

“From the trajectory, if it’s going to be Guam, our eastern seaboard should be prepared. But sometimes, you really don’t know what they want,” he said.

The OCD chief said the government’s contingency measures included pinpointing possible evacuation areas should there be a nuclear fallout.

“No. 1, we’re checking our assets. No. 2, we’re checking our preparedness,” he said.

When asked if the country had ready fallout shelters, Purisima said: “I don’t know the actual details or the specific locations.”

“But we’re preparing. This is similar to what we do when there’s [an approaching] typhoon. We’re going to wake up our LGUs,” he said.