Page 259 - 2020 Defence White Paper

Search-and-rescue following the sinking of a Successfully transferred ROK workers in Iraq to
Hungarian cruise ship (May 2019) return home with KC-330 (July 2020)

diff culty returning to the homeland after restrictions in immigration were applied in
each country due to the global spread of COVID-19. In February, the MND deployed
an exclusive presidential aircraft (ROKAF aircraft #3, VCN-235) to transport 7
people, including 6 ROK nationals and 1 Japanese spouse aboard a Japanese cruise
ship to the ROK. In May, the MND helped 60 overseas Koreans from various parts
of the African continent return to their homes using an air charter which was to
return to the ROK after transporting the 12th contingent of the Hanbit Unit deploying Chapter 6
to South Sudan to carry out its mission. In the course of the rotation, the Hanbit Unit

also provided face masks to the ROK nationals in South Sudan and supported the
infection prevention activities.
In July, amid a situation where more than 2,000 conf rmed cases occurred daily in
Iraq, the MND deployed two KC-330 MRTTs to support the prompt return of around
290 ROK workers in Iraq. This was the first case where an MRTT was deployed
to transport ROK nationals, and the ROK’s government joint rapid response team
composed of the MND, the MOFA, military medical personnel, and quarantine
off cers supported the safe entry of workers.

Establishing a Response System to The MND is establishing a response
Protect Overseas Koreans system related to the military’s deploy-
ment of emergency relief personnel
and resources to protect overseas Koreans. Accordingly, in September 2019, the
MND completely revised the Working-level Manual on Responding to Crisis to
Protect Overseas Koreans, which stipulates the response procedures and measures to
be taken by the MND in the event of a crisis abroad. The revised manual includes an
update on the types of crises that may occur and presents guidelines for military
asset support for prompt measures in the future. Moreover, the MND’s support for
transferring ROK workers in Iraq in July 2020 provided an opportunity to prepare

Chapter 6. Developing a Robust ROK–US Alliance that is Mutually Complementary and Promoting Defense Exchanges and Cooperation