Seoul to build first NBC civilian bunker in Songpa housing complex

Seoul plans to build the capital's first civilian bunker designed to withstand nuclear, biological and chemical attacks beneath a new public housing complex in Songpa District, city officials said Monday. The shelter, to be located on the third basement level of a large residential development in Garakdong, is scheduled for completion by 2028 and is being developed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation.

The underground refuge will cover about 2,147 square meters and accommodate up to 1,020 people at a time, officials said. It will be equipped with air ventilation, clean water storage, sanitation and decontamination systems intended to support occupants for up to 14 days following an external nuclear, biological or chemical incident. When not in emergency use the space is planned to function as a community fitness center.

The housing complex that will house the bunker comprises multiple high rise buildings on the former site of the Seongdong Detention Center, which was relocated in 2017. City planners described the shelter as a pilot project under Defense Seoul 2030, a municipal plan introduced last year to strengthen civilian...