The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the number of Korean nationals residing in Israel, which is in a virtual state of war due to attacks by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, is estimated at about 470 as of the 18th.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on this day, “As a result of a thorough survey of the number of Korean citizens staying in the country on the 16th and 17th at the Embassy in Israel, about 40 additional people were identified compared to the previous number.”
As of the previous day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had estimated the number of Korean citizens staying in Israel to be about 430.
It has been reported that most of the additional Korean citizens confirmed to be staying in Israel are missionaries active in the region.
It is said that they were omitted from the tally because the Korean embassy did not inform them of their stay in the country during the process of identifying residents through local Korean associations.
In relation to this, the Korean embassy in Israel announced in an ’emergency notice’ on the 16th, “We strongly request your active cooperation in determining the status of our nationals’ stay in preparation for an emergency situation.”
After Hamas’ surprise attack on the 7th, Israel immediately launched a counterattack against the Palestinian Gaza Strip. As a result, many casualties, including soldiers and civilians, are occurring in both Israel and Palestine.
Accordingly, 192 short-term Korean nationals in Israel returned home on a Korean Air flight on the 11th of this month, and many more Korean nationals left Israel later using foreign airlines or land routes.
After Korean Air’s direct flights to Israel were suspended, the Korean government launched an Air Force transport aircraft, the KC-330 ‘Cygnus’, to support the return of 163 citizens staying in Israel on the 14th of this month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to explore ways to provide support if there are additional Korean citizens currently remaining in Israel who wish to return to their country.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, “We are considering various measures while looking at the local situation in Israel and the needs of our people.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Japanese government is also planning to mobilize the Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft to support the return of Japanese nationals in Israel in the near future. It is known that the Japanese side, in particular, suggested through our embassy that ’20 Koreans can ride together.’
When our government previously used an Air Force transport aircraft to support the return of Korean nationals in Israel, it used the available seats to allow 51 people, including Japanese nationals and their families staying in the country, and 6 Singaporeans to board as well.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.