President Lee Jae-myung on the 27th ordered the government to designate dedicated officers to assist families of South Koreans who have been cut off or gone missing in flooding in Nepal, along with a public information officer to provide continuous updates on search and rescue operations.
Lee issued the instruction at an emergency meeting on the government's response to Korean casualties from the Nepal floods, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "There is no such thing as overreacting when it comes to protecting the lives and safety of our citizens," he said.
Presidential senior spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing that Lee "stressed the need to carefully attend to the families who are anxiously waiting for word, with full consideration for their feelings and circumstances." Lee also extended his deep condolences to the people and government of Nepal, which suffered heavy damage in the disaster, she said.
At the meeting, Cho A-reum, acting ambassador to Nepal, delivered a video briefing on damage in the affected area, road and communications conditions, and search and rescue efforts by Nepalese authorities. Lee reviewed the situation in detail, checking specific damage to Korean nationals and to facilities including a power plant, Kang said.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reported on talks with the Nepalese government to determine the whereabouts of Korean nationals and on government-wide response plans, including the dispatch of a joint rapid response team. Lee instructed officials to "send rescue personnel to the site as quickly as possible and, in consultation with the company, carefully address requests from families, including requests for meetings, from relatives of employees who are isolated or unreachable."
