Security is a top concern for officials just days before the Olympic Games — which are taking place as nuclear tensions have ramped up on the Korean Peninsula.
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Security here is a top concern for officials just days before the Olympic Games — which are taking place as nuclear tensions have ramped up on the Korean Peninsula.
The Winter Olympics are set to begin on Friday and intense security drills are playing out across the country. It’s not just Olympic venues that are possible targets, with tactical teams are ready at airports, subways, even shopping centers.
About 100,000 spectators and several thousand athletes are expected to funnel into PyeongChang for the Olympic Games daily.
Lee Chul-Sung, the commissioner of the national police agency, told NBC News through a translator they’ve prepared for more than a year so that the games will be peaceful. Police forces were preparing for the gamut of potential terrorist attacks, including cyber terrorism.
In order to prepare for the massive security challenges, about 60,000 forces — including 50,000 military personnel — will “work during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to ensure its safety,“ a South Korean government official told NBC News.
There were also several thousand hidden underground shelters in the event of an attack, the official said.
South Korea has been conducting a series of simulated security drills amidst anxiety over the series of missile tests by North Korea. North Korea agreed to send a delegation of officials and athlete’s to the Games last month, after the first high-level talks between the countries in more than two years.
