SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is heading to flood-ravaged Nepal as the search for nine missing South Koreans stretches into a second week, taking Seoul's diplomatic and emergency response directly to a disaster zone where thousands remain unaccounted for.
Cho will visit Nepal from Saturday through Monday and hold talks with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, the foreign ministry said.
A central focus of the talks will be securing continued Nepalese support for efforts to locate the nine South Koreans who disappeared after catastrophic floods and landslides struck the Himalayan country on Aug. 26.
The Koreans — six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three from state-run Korea South-East Power — were working at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border when the disaster struck.
Cho is expected to request the Nepalese government to concentrate search operations around locations where the workers are believed to have lost contact and to provide military and logistical support where necessary.
The two foreign ministers have already spoken twice since the disaster.
During their Aug. 31 call, Cho thanked Nepal for rescuing 10 South Koreans who had been stranded in the affected area and urged Khanal to provide "special cooperation" for the swift search and rescue of the nine still missing. He also specifically sought support from the Nepalese military for concentrated searches around their last known locations.
Cho said before departing from Incheon International Airport that he would meet relatives of the missing workers and discuss the ongoing response with them. "I will meet the families of our workers from whom we still have no news and discuss response measures together," Cho told reporters. "I will also hold discussions with our relief team on the ground."
Cho is also scheduled to meet representatives of South Korean companies operating in Nepal and visit members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team, or KDRT, involved in search-and-rescue operations.
Seoul dispatched a 44-member KDRT to Nepal earlier this week, combining personnel from the foreign ministry, Korea International Cooperation Agency and fire authorities. The team established a base in Batar in neighboring Nuwakot District to support operations in hard-hit Rasuwa.
Search teams have been using helicopters, drones and ground crews, but difficult terrain, damaged roads and poor weather have complicated operations. As of Friday, searches around Ramche and other areas had produced no meaningful signs of the missing Koreans, according to the foreign ministry.
The Aug. 26 disaster was triggered by a massive collapse of rock and ice that sent water, mud and debris surging through the Trishuli River valley, devastating communities and hydropower facilities.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead and thousands remain missing across Nepal, while damage to housing and infrastructure has been estimated at about $2.56 billion.
The scale of the destruction is also shifting Seoul's response from an emergency search for its nationals toward a broader humanitarian and reconstruction effort.
South Korea announced $1 million in humanitarian assistance immediately after the flooding, to be channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for drinking water, emergency and hygiene kits and basic health supplies.
The government has since added 130 million won ($93,000) worth of emergency relief supplies, including 36,000 emergency thermal blankets and 2,320 heavier blankets, scheduled to arrive in Nepal on Saturday aboard a commercial flight. It added it would continue consulting the Nepalese government on additional assistance needed in affected areas.
Cho is expected to travel directly to France after completing his Nepal visit to accompany President Lee Jae Myung in his state visit.
AJP Takeaways
- Cho will meet Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal and families of the missing workers, while also visiting Korea’s disaster relief team on the ground.
- President Lee Jae Myung chaired an emergency meeting on Aug. 28 to review the government-wide search, rescue and support response.
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