South Korea’s Successful Evacuation: 204 Nationals Return Home Amid Middle East Crisis
Daniel Kim Views
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President Lee Jae-myung on March 15 called the evacuation of citizens stranded in the Middle East — carried out on a government-arranged military transport — a meaningful example of whole-of-government teamwork.
He posted on X (formerly Twitter), “204 of our citizens who had been isolated by recent developments in the Middle East have safely returned on a military transport. This is welcome news.”
Lee said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Air Force coordinated closely with South Korea’s embassies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon. The government’s joint rapid response team and the National Police Agency also took part. He thanked all personnel who worked around the clock under difficult conditions to ensure the operation’s success.
He added, “I offer my deepest respect for your hard work and dedication. You all endured a great deal.”
Under the government’s Operation Desert Light evacuation, a military transport flew 211 people — 204 South Korean citizens, 5 family members of foreign nationality and 2 Japanese nationals — back to Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
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