"What If War Breaks Out?" Stockpiling Bottled Water, Buying Gas Masks... Family of Five Spends 4 Million Won on Emergency Preparedness

Growing movement to prepare for emergencies
UK and other countries recommend stockpiling at least 72 hours' worth of essential supplies

More people are buying survival supplies in advance to prepare for emergencies such as disasters and war. Some are stocking up on bottled water and emergency food, as well as gas masks and water filters, while others have spent millions of won on emergency go-bags for their families. Recently, countries including the United Kingdom and Japan have recommended that people stockpile at least three days' worth of food, water and other emergency supplies.

Emergency food posted on Threads, a social networking service. Threads

People post survival supplies on Threads, from bottled water to gas masks

On November 4, users continued to post on Threads, a social networking service (SNS), showing the survival supplies they had purchased to prepare for emergencies such as war and disasters.

The photos included everything from stacks of dozens of bottles of water to shopping carts filled with groceries such as canned food and energy drinks. One user posted an online shopping order for 40 packs of instant noodles, a portable gas stove and energy bars, among other items.

One user said they had bought water filters and water purification tablets, bleach, hard hats, chemical, biological and radiological protective masks, raincoats, cotton work gloves and rubber gloves. The user said, "I bought one emergency go-bag for each of the five members of my family," adding, "It cost 4 million won."

Searching for terms such as "war" and "emergency food" on Threads turns up many similar posts. The supplies and quantities vary from user to user, but many appear to have stocked up on bottled water, emergency food, portable cooking equipment, radios and emergency backpacks.

An empty shelf at a supermarket. The photo is not directly related to the article. Getty Images.

UK and Japan recommend stockpiling emergency supplies

Governments in several countries have previously recommended that people stock up on essential supplies to last for a certain period in case of unexpected emergencies such as war or natural disasters.

On October 22, the UK government launched its "Be Ready" campaign to prepare for Russian cyberattacks and natural disasters, urging the public to have enough emergency supplies to get by for at least 72 hours. The recommended supplies include not only food and drinking water but also flashlights, power banks, portable radios and cash. UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting recently warned that countries hostile to the UK, including Russia, could have the military capability to launch an attack by 2030.

The Japanese government also said it plans to urgently ask people to stockpile at least three days' worth of food, water and other supplies in preparation for major disasters such as large-scale earthquakes. Goshi Hosono, the minister in charge of disaster prevention, stressed, "Please prepare at least three days' worth, and if possible a week's supply, of food, water and toilet supplies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.