Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 27th held an emergency call with the Nepalese foreign minister regarding nine Koreans missing and 10 isolated and evacuated due to flooding in Nepal, and requested the swift search and rescue of Korean nationals.
The government decided to provide $1 million (1.3798 billion won) in humanitarian aid on the ground and to actively consider dispatching the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister spoke by phone that afternoon with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal and discussed recovery from flood damage that occurred in Nepal on the 26th and plans to rescue Koreans.
Minister Khanal explained the scale of flood damage and the authorities' response status in the Rasuwa region. Minister Cho conveyed deep condolences to the people of Nepal and the bereaved families, and said that to support the Nepalese government's prompt recovery efforts, Korea would provide $1 million in humanitarian aid through international organizations active locally.
Minister Cho said, "As our government, we are greatly concerned because contact with nine of our nationals has been lost and 10 have evacuated and are awaiting rescue," and requested the Nepalese government's special attention and full support for a swift and safe search and rescue.
Minister Cho conveyed that during an emergency meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung that afternoon, instructions were issued to mobilize all available means and focus all efforts on searching for and rescuing the missing. He also said the government would review and push for the prompt dispatch of the Korea Disaster Relief Team.
He also asked for the active cooperation of the Nepalese government so that the government's joint rapid response team, urgently dispatched to the site that day, can work closely with local authorities to carry out smooth search and rescue support activities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two ministers agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation between the two governments to recover from the flood damage in Nepal and to search for and rescue Korean nationals.