South Korea Appoints New Ambassador to Nepal Amid Flood Crisis

In response to the severe flooding in Nepal that has left nine South Koreans missing, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the appointment of Park Jae-kyung as the new ambassador to Nepal. Park Jae-kyung previously served as the ambassador to Zimbabwe.

The previous ambassador to Nepal, Park Tae-young, had recently departed for a new post as Consul General in Istanbul. This left the embassy in Nepal operating under a charge d'affaires. Concerns had been raised about the capacity of the small mission, which includes six officials including the acting head, to effectively respond to the crisis of missing South Korean nationals.

Park Jae-kyung, who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994, brings extensive diplomatic experience. His previous postings include serving as Minister-Counselor at the South Korean Embassy in Indonesia, Director-General for ASEAN Affairs, and Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

As of the latest reports, nine South Koreans are still unaccounted for following the floods that began on August 26. Ten South Koreans who were initially isolated have been safely transferred to a secure area via Nepal Army helicopters. The remaining individual is a field director for Doosan Enerbility, who chose to stay at the site until all local staff were rescued. These individuals were scheduled to travel to Kathmandu on August 28.