S. Korea sends 2nd disaster relief team to Nepal for flood recovery efforts

South Korea dispatched a second team of disaster relief experts to Nepal on Friday, aimed at aiding reconstruction and recovery following devastating floods earlier this month. The eight-member Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) took off from Seoul aboard a KC-330 military transport plane at 2:55 a.m., expected to land in Kathmandu around 9 a.m. local time, carrying relief supplies valued at 180 million won (US$134,200).

These supplies, donated by various South Korean entities, included tents, blankets, and clothing. The second KDRT will concentrate on reconstruction and recovery throughout a seven-day mission. Comprising officials from the foreign ministry, the National Fire Agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the National Medical Center, the team is set to return home on Saturday, following the departure of its predecessor on September 2 for a ten-day search-and-rescue mission.

Nine South Koreans, including six employees from Doosan Enerbility Co. and three from Korea South-East Power Co., went missing on August 26 while working at a hydropower plant during the floods. Nepal has shifted its attention from rescue operations to rebuilding and recovery, while South Korea plans to continue supporting search efforts for the missing Koreans in collaboration with Nepalese authorities and rescue teams from corporations.

A joint rapid response team from South Korea, which was deployed shortly after the floods, will be reorganized into a smaller seven-member unit to support recovery efforts, including collaborating with Nepalese forensic officials to identify victims. As of Thursday, the death toll from the disaster has risen to over 1,400, with more than 5,600 people still unaccounted for in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region.