The South Korean presidency announced today (Friday) that Seoul is studying practical options, including military measures, to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has witnessed increasing tension since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran.
A presidential spokesman in the presidential office told the media that any “contributions related to the Strait of Hormuz can be managed within limits that do not affect South Korea’s military readiness in the face of the threats to which it is exposed,” noting that this issue is still under study.
South Korean TV channel JTBC confirmed on Thursday that the government was ready to deploy military resources in the Strait of Hormuz, but the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs later indicated that no decision had been taken in this regard.
On August 16, US President Donald Trump announced the reduction of the United States’ participation in the annual joint military exercises with South Korea, a step that was a blow to Seoul, considering that these exercises send a “hostile and inappropriate message” to Pyongyang, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He also linked his decision to the war in the Middle East that broke out following the attack launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28.
Trump wrote at the time on his “Truth Social” platform, “Although the matter was relatively unrelated to the topic, I recently asked the President of South Korea if they wanted to join us in the effort to denuclearize Iran, and their response was: ‘No, thanks!’”
The United States has been seeking for months to persuade its allies to participate militarily in securing navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which before the war a fifth of the amount of fuel consumed globally passed.
Since the outbreak of the war, Tehran has targeted ships that attempt to cross the strait without a permit, and in return, the United States imposes a blockade on Iranian ports.
The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal has risen to at least 1,259 people, according to what the Disaster Management Authority announced Thursday, while the number of missing people has increased sharply to 5,083 people.
Chinese official media reported that 21 people were killed and 541 others were missing in Tibet; Which brings the total toll of the August 26 disaster to 1,280 dead and 5,624 missing.
Authorities in Nepal said they will have to rebuild about 20,000 homes in flood-hit areas, at a time when rescuers continue to search for workers trapped inside tunnels linked to hydroelectric projects.
The collapse of a glacier led to a massive flow of ice, rocks and mud across the poor region on Nepal's border with China. This destroyed residential communities and villages, leaving only a few homes standing without damage.
Dharma Raj Upreti, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told Reuters: “Our initial estimates indicate that 7,500 homes were completely destroyed. Between what was swept away by the flood, and what was buried by rubble and mud.” Upreti added that the homes that are still standing are uninhabitable, noting that the authorities estimate that about 20,000 homes will have to be rebuilt in safer locations.
China said that the number of deaths in Tibet reached 21 people, while 541 others are still missing.
A Cabinet spokesman said that the government of Prime Minister Balendra Shah has designated September 7, the 13th day after the disaster, as a day of national mourning in Nepal. The 13th day is the end of the official mourning period, according to Hindu traditions.
The army said, in a statement on Thursday, that more than 9,300 Nepalese soldiers are deployed in the affected areas in Timorese, Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and eastern Nawalparasi, to coordinate search and rescue operations for the injured, help deal with bodies, open closed roads, and provide emergency medical care.
Nepal said on Thursday that at least 583 foreigners were missing as a result of the floods, and that many of them were visitors and mountaineers. An army officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said that search operations are continuing with the participation of experts from India, South Korea and China.
The United Nations warned on Thursday that the difficulty of reaching survivors of devastating floods in Nepal is severely hampering the delivery of basic aid, noting that it is considering using cargo drones and porters to overcome the problem of destroyed roads. The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal rose to at least 1,259 people, according to what the Disaster Management Authority announced Thursday, while the number of missing people increased sharply to 5,083 people. Among the missing are hundreds of foreigners from at least 34 countries. On the Chinese side, official media reported that 21 people were killed and 541 others were missing in Tibet, bringing the total toll of the disaster that struck the two countries on August 26 to 1,280 dead and 5,624 missing.
“The scale of the disaster is unbelievable,” UN Resident Coordinator Laila Peters Yahya told reporters in Kathmandu. “Access was very difficult,” she added, noting that UN agencies delivered water and sanitation supplies, in addition to food and medicine. She continued: “These are the most urgent needs, especially for people at the center of the disaster.” Search operations for missing persons are still continuing.
In Kathmandu, family members of some missing foreigners said they were searching hospitals and morgues hoping to find any information about their loved ones. American citizen Sanjeev Rai, 53 years old, went to Nepal to search for his wife, one of about 75 Americans missing. He told Agence France-Presse: “I feel hopeless. Many days have passed.”
Areas near the disaster's epicenter are still cut off from the world, while the United Nations is working with the Nepalese government to deliver emergency supplies to the affected areas. For his part, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, during a briefing to diplomats in Kathmandu on Thursday, described the disaster as a "tsunami in the Himalayas." He continued: “I can say from what I witnessed for myself that the reality on the ground is much more severe than what pictures can convey,” adding: “These are not ordinary floods.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Paudel Chhetri told reporters on Thursday: “Nepal has mobilized all its available resources, but we realize that the scale and complexity of this disaster requires international solidarity and support.” He added, "The extent of the damage to homes, roads, bridges, hydroelectric facilities and other vital infrastructure is extremely enormous."
Chhetri renewed the call for specialized international assistance, including drones capable of carrying heavy weights and temporary bridges, in addition to body bags and DNA testing equipment to help identify victims. He pointed out that Nepal also needs a mobile air traffic control system and devices to monitor ground vibrations.
More than 21,000 members of the Nepalese security forces are participating in search, rescue and relief operations, while Nepalese rescuers, with the help of experts from India, China and South Korea, continue to search for survivors who are feared to be stuck inside the tunnels of hydroelectric power facilities. But the teams repeatedly encountered dead ends, and no survivors have been found so far.
The floods swept through mountainous areas, destroying roads, bridges and hydroelectric dams. Peters-Yahya told reporters: “We also discussed with the government how to use helicopters and cargo drones to deliver aid.”
The United Nations is considering using Nepalese porters who are accustomed to transporting heavy loads across some of the most difficult mountainous terrain in the world, during hiking and climbing trips.
Peters-Yahya said: “One of the advantages of your country is that you have porters,” adding that the United Nations may also resort to “these very simple means to deliver aid as quickly as possible.” She warned that the scale of the disaster makes it difficult to avoid aid shortages, adding that “the scale of the disaster is so large that there will always be gaps” in relief operations.
