South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun traveled to Nepal to meet with families of nine missing South Korean nationals following a catastrophic flood disaster, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The disaster struck on November 26, leaving nine South Korean workers missing—six employees from Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea Southern Power, according to government reports.
### Emergency Response and Search Operations
A joint government rapid response team and the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) are conducting search and rescue operations on the ground in Nepal, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The South Korean government dispatched an initial 11-member joint rapid response team led by Lim Sang-woo, government representative for overseas Koreans protection and consular affairs, on November 27. Two days later, an additional eight firefighters and one foreign ministry official joined the deployment. The KDRT operates under the leadership of Lee Kyu-ho, director-general for development cooperation at the Foreign Ministry. The 44-member relief unit includes three foreign ministry personnel, four representatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and 37 firefighters, according to ministry data.
### Diplomatic Engagement and Reconstruction Plans
Minister Cho plans to meet with Nepalese government officials to discuss humanitarian aid and future reconstruction efforts for the disaster-affected region, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We plan to discuss the South Korean government’s plans for support and participation in reconstruction.”
Minister Cho also intends to ask Nepalese authorities to ensure smooth and thorough search operations for the missing South Korean nationals. He previously raised the request during phone calls with Foreign Minister Kanal on November 27 and November 31, pressing for concentrated search efforts in the areas where the workers are believed to be missing.