South Korea is evacuating more than 200 of its nationals from parts of the Middle East amid escalating regional tensions, with a military transport aircraft carrying the group currently en route to Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
A total of 204 South Korean citizens, along with five foreign family members and two Japanese citizens, departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday aboard a KC-330 military transport aircraft dispatched by the government. The aircraft is currently flying toward South Korea and is expected to land at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam later Sunday evening, officials said.
The evacuation comes as security concerns grow across the region following ongoing hostilities and airstrikes, which have disrupted commercial aviation and made it difficult for foreign nationals to leave.
Those evacuated had been staying in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon, the ministry said. Lebanon has drawn particular concern as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified.
According to the government’s tally, passengers assembled in Riyadh included 142 people arriving from Saudi Arabia, 24 from Bahrain, 14 from Kuwait and 28 from Lebanon. Most were South Korean citizens, though a small number of foreign nationals were also included, such as family members and citizens of partner countries.
Among those on board were one dual Korean-Japanese national and two Japanese nationals, who joined the evacuation flight after coordination between the South Korean and Japanese embassies in Saudi Arabia.
A family poses for photos aboard a military plane bringing them and more than 200 others home from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, in an evacuation operation amid the Middle East conflict, in this photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. (Yonhap) The operation, dubbed “Operation Desert Shine,” was launched after President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials earlier this week to ensure the safe evacuation of South Koreans in the region and to consider the use of military aircraft if necessary.
The aircraft departed South Korea on Saturday morning, arrived in Riyadh later the same day and took off again in the evening with evacuees on board. Officials said the plane has since left the region and is currently flying toward South Korea.
Authorities had initially considered dispatching two transport aircraft, but decided that one would be sufficient after confirming that the number of evacuees was below the KC-330’s maximum capacity of about 250 passengers.
The Foreign Ministry said the mission was unusual in both scale and complexity, as it involved gathering South Korean nationals from four different countries and transporting them to a single departure point for evacuation.
A South Korean family poses with an Air Force officer aboard a military plane bringing them and more than 200 others home from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, in an evacuation operation amid the Middle East conflict, in this photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. (Yonhap) A government rapid-response team deployed to Saudi Arabia traveled to the eastern city of Dammam, helping transport evacuees to Riyadh by chartered buses. South Koreans staying in Kuwait were escorted by embassy staff, while those in Lebanon traveled to Saudi Arabia on commercial flights between Friday and Saturday.
Officials said preparations for the flight required securing overflight permissions from around 10 countries along the aircraft’s route within a single day, prompting intensive coordination among diplomatic and defense officials across multiple time zones.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also spoke with their Saudi counterparts last week to request support from the Saudi government for the evacuation effort.
A KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker of the South Korean Air Force, carrying 211 South Korean nationals and foreigners, takes off from an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, in this photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. (Yonhap) The mission involved close cooperation among multiple agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Air Force, as well as South Korean diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon. The National Police Agency also participated as part of a government rapid-response team.
Military authorities maintained a 24-hour operations center to track the aircraft’s route and monitor potential security risks throughout the mission, the ministry said.
The government said it will continue monitoring developments in the Middle East and take further measures if needed to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals remaining in the region.
South Korean nationals and officials of a government rapid response team, wearing yellow vests, wait to board a military plane to return home from Saudi Arabia on Saturday in this photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. (Yonhap) By Herald Business reporter Moon Hye-hyeon (moone@heraldcorp.com)
Edited by Korea Herald Content Desk Editor Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)
The original Korean version of this story is available at:
https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10694341
milaya@heraldcorp.com