Government Evacuates 97 Including Nationals Staying in Lebanon... Scheduled to Arrive in Korea

Evacuation Conducted with Deployment of Military Transport Aircraft

The government evacuated 97 people, including 96 Korean nationals staying in Lebanon amid Israel's ground operation against the pro-Iran militant group Hezbollah, and one Lebanese family member, using a military transport aircraft.

According to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 5th, the Air Force's multipurpose aerial refueling transport aircraft KC-330 'Cygnus,' carrying these individuals, has currently entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) and is expected to land soon at Seongnam Seoul Airport.

Cygnus departed from Gimhae Airport on the 3rd with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' rapid response team and military medical personnel on board. It arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, on the morning of the previous day (local time), picked up the Korean nationals, and departed for the return journey that afternoon.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol sent a direct text message to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Rashid Bou Habib, requesting the Lebanese government's cooperation for the safe return of Korean nationals.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Bou Habib responded to Minister Cho's request by saying, "Understood," and expressed gratitude for the Republic of Korea's efforts as a peace-loving nation to stabilize the Middle East situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

The government made a sudden decision to deploy military aircraft as civilian flights connecting Lebanon and the outside world have virtually disappeared. Currently, only Middle East Airlines (MEA), a Lebanese national carrier, is operating locally, but even tickets for this airline are reportedly difficult to obtain.

Other countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany are also deploying charter or military aircraft to evacuate their nationals.

Along with Cygnus, the government also deployed the C130J 'Super Hercules' transport aircraft, capable of takeoff and landing on short runways, in case the local airport could not be used; however, it was reported that this was not necessary.

Meanwhile, the ambassador to Lebanon and other embassy staff have not withdrawn, and about 30 Korean nationals also remained on site without evacuating this time.