이 대통령 “네팔 홍수 수색·구조에 가용 자원 총동원”

President Yoon Jae-myung declared on the 27th that "the national resources will be fully mobilized to respond to the human life and safety crisis in Nepal" in light of the fact that nine Korean nationals are in a situation where contact has been lost due to the sudden flooding. Addressing emergency conference on Nepal's flood situation held at the diplomatic section building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, he requested a thorough check to see whether any other missing nationals are still in need of assistance, apart from those who have lost contact.

On the 26th, nine Korean workers from South Korea's Dongdong Energy and Daesang Beach's Daesang Energy unit were reported missing during the construction of a hydropower plant in the northern central region of Nepal. However, nine out of ten isolated Korean nationals have been safely transported to a secure area by Nepalese military helicopters by noon of the same day.

Daesang Beach's site manager stated that they would remain in the locality until all workers are safely evacuated, and two embassy officials and administrative staff were also left behind. The remaining nine workers are currently stranded near a dam site that is being flooded. Though Nepalese army and police are conducting the search and rescue operations, the treacherous mountainous terrain and the fact that there is no daylight left make the rescue and rescue efforts difficult.

The president canceled the scheduled senior assistant meeting and convened the emergency conference on Nepal's flooding, postponing the meeting with Vice Minister Oh Chan-do and Democratic Party's lawmaker Yoo Jin-do. The government dispatched a joint rapid response team consisting of four foreign affairs officials, five fire department personnel, and two police officers to Nepal on the same day.

The foreign affairs minister, Chung, stated that the rapid response team will identify the situation and, if necessary, dispatch additional rescue teams with the consultation of the Nepalese government, and the number could reach several tens. Chung also requested cooperation from Nepal's foreign affairs minister, Sinjar Kanal, to ensure the rapid rescue of the Korean nationals.

Daesang Beach's representative, Yong-gyun, and South Korea's Dongdong Energy dispatched eight response team members to Nepal, while South Korea's Dongdong Energy also set up an emergency response headquarters and dispatched employees to the location.