South Korea seeks Nepal's help in search for nine missing nationals after floods
Quick Look
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun visited Nepal to coordinate search efforts for nine Koreans missing after devastating floods, meeting with Nepalese officials and urging full support for rescue operations in rugged terrain where severe weather has hampered efforts.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
More than 5,000 people remain missing following devastating floods in Nepal, including nine South Koreans who were working on the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa district.
South Korea is stepping up efforts to secure Nepalese cooperation in the search for nine Koreans missing after devastating floods, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun meeting with Nepalese and rescue officials.
Cho arrived in Kathmandu late Saturday to discuss the search operation and related issues with Nepalese authorities.
He was set to meet Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal on Sunday, as well as other government officials, members of South Korea’s overseas emergency relief team and families of the missing Koreans during his visit.
Speaking to South Korean reporters after arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday night, Cho said he planned to discuss not only efforts to deal with the immediate aftermath of the floods but also longer-term cooperation with Nepal, including reconstruction.
At his meeting with Khanal, Cho is expected to ask the Nepalese government to provide full support so that search operations for the nine missing Koreans can proceed as smoothly as possible.
Search efforts have faced difficulties because of severe weather and rugged terrain. Nepalese military authorities have also restricted members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team, or KDRT, from conducting searches on foot in mountainous areas where the Koreans went missing.
Cho said he would consult with Nepalese authorities on ways to allow search teams to operate as extensively as conditions permit.
He also pledged to make every effort to accelerate rescue operations in hopes of finding the missing Koreans alive.
Cho previously spoke with Khanal by phone twice, on Aug. 27 and Aug. 31, asking Nepalese authorities to concentrate search efforts in the area where the Koreans disappeared.
The foreign minister is scheduled to remain in Nepal through Monday. During the three-day visit, he also plans to meet families of the missing Koreans and representatives of South Korean companies, as well as encourage members of the KDRT deployed to the country.
More than 5,000 people remain missing following the floods, including the nine South Koreans who had been working on the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa district of Bagmati Province in north-central Nepal.
The group consists of six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three employees of Korea South-East Power Co.
A joint rescue team comprising Nepalese military personnel and the KDRT rescued a Chinese man Saturday from a tunnel at the UT-1 hydropower construction site.
The rescue has drawn particular attention because the site is the same power plant where the nine missing Koreans had been working, raising hopes that further search operations in the area could produce additional findings.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Search operations will continue with increased coordination between South Korean and Nepalese authorities.
Likely · Within days
Families of the missing will be consulted during the visit.
Certain · Within hours
Open Questions
- What are the exact circumstances of the disappearance of the nine Koreans?
- How will weather and terrain restrictions affect the timeline of search operations?
- What specific support is South Korea requesting from Nepal beyond general cooperation?
