[Anchor]
President Lee Jae-myung has instructed authorities to mobilize all available means and make every possible effort to search for and rescue the missing persons. The government convened a meeting of the Countermeasures Headquarters for the Protection of Overseas Koreans a moment ago. Let us connect with the reporter at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reporter Kim, how is the meeting proceeding?
[Reporter]
The meeting of the Countermeasures Headquarters for the Protection of Overseas Koreans began a moment ago at 10:30 p.m., presided over by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.
About 30 minutes have passed since the meeting started, but word of its conclusion has not yet been heard.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police are attending the meeting.
After reviewing the local flood situation in Nepal, they are believed to be focusing on discussing ways to search for and rescue missing South Korean nationals in cooperation with Nepalese authorities.
The government plans to dispatch a joint government rapid response team consisting of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency, and the National Police Agency to the site in Nepal tomorrow as quickly as possible.
The government response team is expected to arrive in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, late tomorrow afternoon.
After arriving locally, the response team is expected to move to the construction site of the hydroelectric power plant in the Rasuwa region, where the accident occurred due to sudden floods, together with officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal.
Upon receiving news of the accident, the local embassy notified the Nepalese government that eight South Korean nationals were out of contact, requesting prompt search and rescue operations, and also dispatched a consul to the site, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun explained that another 10 South Korean nationals belonging to Doosan Enerbility have evacuated locally along with about 200 foreigners, including Nepalese nationals, waiting for rescue, and have been confirmed to be in a safe situation alongside the dispatched South Korean consul.
Earlier, upon receiving reports regarding the accident in Nepal, President Lee Jae-myung issued an emergency directive placing the highest priority on the lives and safety of citizens and ordering an all-out effort in the search and rescue of the missing persons.
This means mobilizing all possible means.
The Presidential Office also conveyed that President Lee urged close cooperation with the Nepalese government to support the families of the missing persons and to take every possible measure to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals staying in the area.
(Photo courtesy of Park Hyun-chul | Video Editing: Park Ji-in)
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