Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Ministry of National Defense(MND) said that they supported Korean people who withdrew from Yemen, where the civil war was getting worse, to Djibouti on March 29.

On March 28, the Korean government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA), evacuated eight overseas Korean and two administrative staff of the official residence who were in San’a, the capital city of Yemen, by using an aircraft prepared with the UN’s help.

And when the MND was asked to assist in evacuating from the MOFA, they reached liaison officers dispatched to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), a subordinate force of the U.S. Africa Command in Djibouti to take care of Korean people.

The U.S. CJTF-HOA also supported a 15-passenger bus used in Djibouti at the request of Korean military liaison officers. The MND and Joint Chiefs of Staff cooperated with the CJTF-HOA to implement various safety measures as a warning for accidental situations in Djibouti that are directly connected to our people’s safety. 

“Living in Yemen, I’ve gone through many difficult and hard situations because of the civil war. And I feel deeply appreciative of our army providing support from their heart far away from Korea,” said one Korean resident abroad who withdrew to Djibouti.

The government has kept a cooperative system between relevant government departments preparing for the situation in Yemen, and has been operating a task force for protection of Koreans living overseas in which relevant departments like the MND have been participating since last February at the instigation of the MOFA.

The MND will actively cooperate with and support the MOFA if our people need to be protected. 

By Chul-Hwan, Kim <droid001@dema.mil.kr>