Nepal missing Korean 9 people rescue 본격 개시…수색·구조 얼마나 진척됐나?

The South Korean government has dispatched helicopters to Nepal as part of an urgent search and rescue mission for nine South Korean nationals missing following severe flooding in the country. This comes after the government's joint rapid response team failed to conduct thorough searches and rescues in the aftermath of the Nepal disaster on May 26. The situation is closely watched, as it could determine whether future search and rescue operations will be more efficient.

According to the foreign ministry's statement, two helicopters from the joint rapid response team departed for the flood-affected region in Nepal on May 29 afternoon. Shortly after, at 3:00 PM (Korean time), the first helicopter carrying four firefighters took off, followed by another helicopter with another four personnel at 3:53 PM (Korean time).

Their mission is to assess the current situation on the ground and identify additional resources needed for the rescue efforts. The rapid response team will begin their search based on the coordinates provided by the Nepalese authorities for the nine missing individuals. These nine people were employees from Dong Energy's upstream facility in Tibro and Hana Eastpower's downstream facility, which were both affected by the floods on May 26.

On the previous day, May 28, South Korean helicopters and a Nepalese military helicopter attempted the search and rescue operation, but were hindered due to insufficient resources. The Nepalese government is currently allowing limited foreign helicopter operations due to weather conditions and the potential for secondary flooding.

The Nepalese government, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been providing coordinates and location information of the flood-affected areas to the South Korean government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked for assistance in the search and rescue operations after being informed about the plight of our nationals on May 26.

Kim Joo-won, the head of the joint rapid response team, has been in contact with Nepalese diplomatic officials and key personnel since May 28, requesting cooperation in the search and rescue activities.