South Korea’s overseas emergency relief team departs for Nepal aboard military transport

South Korea’s overseas emergency relief team has departed for Nepal’s flood-hit Rasuwa region aboard a KC-330 military transport aircraft. The team left Seoul Air Base in Seongnam around midnight on the first day of the month, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The Korea Disaster Relief Team consists of 44 people. It is led by Lee Kyu-ho, director-general of development cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, and includes two ministry officials, four members of the Korea International Cooperation Agency and 37 personnel from the National Fire Agency. Five rescue dogs are also traveling with the group.

The team is expected to arrive around 6 a.m. local time. After coordinating with Nepalese authorities and the South Korean government’s rapid response team, it will determine where and how to operate.

The group is expected to carry out search and rescue work for about 10 days, focusing on an area where nine South Korean nationals are believed to have lost contact. Before departure, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jin-ah encouraged the team at Seoul Air Base and expressed hope that its work would protect South Korean citizens while offering solidarity and hope to Nepalese people affected by the large-scale disaster.

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I hope the relief team's activities will protect the lives and safety of our citizens while also delivering a message of solidarity and hope to the people of Nepal who have experienced a large-scale disaster.