On the 15th of this month, five days before US President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, the National Defense Forces mobilized to strengthen security are passing in front of the Washington Capitol. Washington = AFP Yonhap News
Tensions are rising in Washington, five days before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden. The main bridge to the central area of the National Mall and downtown Washington is closed and 25,000 State Guards are mobilized. The red zone and green zone, which are high security zones, have been set up.
According to the Washington Post (WP) of the United States and Japan on the 15th (local time), the public is prohibited from going to the National Mall from 11am on the day to the 21st, the day after the inauguration ceremony. Most of the National Mall area is included in the’National Special Security Event’ area designated by the Ministry of Homeland Security. The National Mall near the White House is a large park that connects the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capitol. It is the first time since 1981, when the presidential inauguration ceremony began to be held on the western stairs of the Capitol Building, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people celebrating the inauguration ceremony.
This is not the only security measure. The four bridges leading to downtown Washington will also be closed for 48 hours from 6 am on the 19th. The Department of Defense has also decided to mobilize an additional 4,000 troops from the State National Guard, with a total of 25,000 guarding downtown Washington. It is a state of arduous efforts to prevent unforeseen incidents such as the invasion of the US President Donald Trump’s intrusion into the Capitol on the 6th.
The Secret Service also designated Green Zone and Red Zone as security zones in central Washington. Only vehicles with special permission can enter the red zone, and only vehicles, residents, and businesses related to the area can pass through the green zone. The Green Zone originated from the term for a highly fortified guard area in Baghdad after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. “The residents of Washington are feeling unrealistic feelings,” the WP said in response to the security measures.
Concerns over violence related to the presidential inauguration are growing across the country. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is focusing on proactive interception after obtaining information that there is a possibility of simultaneous violence in the entire United States, including Washington, before and after the inauguration ceremony. Several states, including Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, will deploy security personnel on the streets to respond to violence. Michigan State decided to close the state legislature for three days starting on the 19th after obtaining information about the threat of violence.
Prior to this, control of the streets in central Washington began. From this day on, 13 subway stations around the National Mall and the Capitol were closed. US airlines have completely banned the transport of guns to Washington. Accommodation sharing company Airbnb canceled all Washington accommodation reservations during inauguration week.
Azalea reporter [email protected]
News edited by Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver
