Page 258 - 2020 Defence White Paper

5. Establishing a Response System to Protect Overseas Koreans

Protecting Overseas Koreans The ROK Armed Forces is reinforcing vari-
ous activities to protect ROK nationals in an
active and pre-emptive manner by utilizing military assets including vessels and
transport aircraft in the event of a crisis such as major disaster or terrorism abroad.
In the past, the ROK Armed Forces has focused on assisting the rescue and transfer
of kidnapped ROK nationals as well as evacuation of ROK nationals when civil wars
broke out in Libya and Yemen, in which the tasks were mainly carried out by the
Cheonghae Unit dispatched to the Gulf of Aden. Nowadays, however, the ROK
Armed Forces is working more actively to protect ROK nationals, such as deploying
military transport aircraft and rescue teams in response to various natural disasters
and disaster situations. Recent major activities of the MND in protecting ROK
nationals utilizing military assets are shown in [Chart 6-16].

[Chart 6-16] Major Activities of the MND in Protecting the ROK Nationals
(As of November 2020)
Period Defense Exchanges and Cooperation Activities
Supported military transport aircraft (C-130) for the evacuation of 799 ROK nationals
October 2018
isolated due to Typhoon Yutu in Saipan
Dispatched a rescue team to support search-and-rescue after the Hungarian cruise
May 2019
ship sinking
Transferred 6 ROK nationals and 1 Japanese spouse aboard a Japanese cruise ship
February 2020
to the ROK (Tokyo–Gimpo) (Code One, VCN-235 of the ROKAF)
Supported 60 ROK nationals in Africa to return home (Addis Ababa–Incheon)
May 2020
(a returning air charter after transporting the 12th batch of Hanbit Unit)
July 2020 Deployed 2 KC-330 MRTTs to bring back home about 290 ROK workers in Iraq

First, when ROK nationals including local tourists were isolated in Saipan due to
Typhoon Yutu in October 2018, the MND deployed a transport aircraft (C-130) for
the f rst time to safely transport a total of 799 people to Guam.
In the Hungarian cruise ship sinking accident in May 2019, the MND, in
78)
cooperation with relevant organizations including the MOFA, dispatched seven
Sea Salvage and Rescue Units (SSUs) as members of the ROK government’s joint
rapid response team and provided rescue equipment. In addition, a 24-hour situation
78) support room was operated at the MND headquarters and the defense attaché in
An incident when the
Hungarian cruise ship Hungary was appointed as the rescue captain, making all-out efforts to search for
Hubbleani, which had 33
ROK nationals on board, missing ROK nationals. This was the f rst case of dispatching a military rescue team
collided with a local cruise
ship in Danube River, to rescue ROK nationals from a major accident that occurred abroad.
Hungary (7 survivors, 25
deaths, 1 missing) In 2020, the MND actively supported the transfer of ROK nationals who had

2020 Defense White Paper