Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "No Casualties Among Our Citizens in South Africa Riot Situation Yet"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the riots in South Africa, which began in protest of the detention of a former president, escalate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "So far, there have been no casualties among our nationals."

On the 13th, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said during a video briefing with the press, "Our government is closely monitoring the South African riots and will actively take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our nationals."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are approximately 3,300 Korean residents in South Africa, with about 2,200 in Johannesburg, 1,000 in Cape Town, and 120 in Durban.

The official stated, "The Korean residents living in Durban reside in relatively safe residential complexes and are refraining from going out. They are discussing safety matters through group chats among residents and emergency contact networks with the embassy," adding, "Our embassy is regularly sharing information about looting with the Korean associations and trade offices in Durban and Johannesburg."

Additionally, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there appears to be no movement among the Korean residents to return home. The government is also carefully reviewing safety measures for overseas nationals in preparation for any emergencies through the embassy's emergency contact network.

In Durban, where an LG Electronics factory is located, looting occurred on the 12th (local time) by rioters. The official said, "According to the embassy's report, the LG Electronics factory was looted twice in the early morning local time," and another Korean company also suffered looting damage in the morning.

However, the extent of the damage to the LG Electronics factory is unknown due to restricted access to the site.

There have been no reports of damage to other Korean companies outside of Durban. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "So far, the scale of damage has not been confirmed," and added, "Looting in other areas is not as severe as in Durban." Johannesburg, known as an economic hub, is home to companies such as POSCO International and Hyundai Corporation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We are maintaining an emergency communication system with local companies' councils and Korean organizations to ensure personal safety and corporate security," and added, "We hope the situation stabilizes as the host country (South Africa) has decided to deploy military forces."