Lawmakers Urge Nepal to Search for 9 Missing Koreans

Members of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 27th called on Nepalese authorities to do their utmost in searching for nine South Koreans who went missing in massive flooding in Nepal, asking them to treat the effort with the same care they would give their own citizens.

Speaking at a news conference at the National Assembly's press center, the lawmakers said they earnestly hope all of the missing citizens return safely and in good health to their families as soon as possible.

The committee also pressed the South Korean government to act quickly. Officials should dispatch personnel from the National Fire Agency, the Korean National Police Agency and other relevant bodies to the site as fast as possible, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinating the response, the lawmakers said. They added that the government should work closely with the South Korean Embassy in Nepal and Nepalese authorities to mobilize every capability and resource available to determine the whereabouts of the citizens and carry out search-and-rescue operations.

The lawmakers noted that those who lost contact in the flooding had been working on infrastructure construction in Nepal. The committee said it would monitor the situation closely and cooperate with the foreign ministry and other agencies so that necessary support can be provided quickly, in order to secure the lives and safety of the citizens without delay.

Asked whether the committee plans to travel to Nepal, Song Seok-jun, a lawmaker of the People Power Party who chairs the committee, said the panel would watch the situation carefully and make all necessary preparations in close coordination with the foreign ministry if needed. Kim Dae-sik, a People Power Party lawmaker serving as an opposition secretary on the committee, said the chairman and the secretaries of both parties would consult with all options open and communicate closely with the foreign ministry.