An emergency evacuation alert sent in error across Seoul over a North Korean rocket launch triggered widespread panic on Wednesday, crashing internet services and raising fears the government could not be trusted to handle a real crisis. The alert, sent at 6.41am (local time) to all mobile phones in Seoul, said: “Citizens, please prepare to evacuate and allow children and the elderly to evacuate first”.
The message did not specify why residents should evacuate or where they should go. Naver, South Korea‘s largest internet portal, said its network went down for five minutes due to the excess traffic. After 20 minutes, the government retracted the alert. The retraction prompted anger and frustration. As North Korea had launched the rocket to the south, the city government “judged that immediate action was necessary”.
The message did not specify why residents should evacuate or where they should go. Naver, South Korea‘s largest internet portal, said its network went down for five minutes due to the excess traffic. After 20 minutes, the government retracted the alert. The retraction prompted anger and frustration. As North Korea had launched the rocket to the south, the city government “judged that immediate action was necessary”.