Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Soldiers of the 16th Cheonghae unit, protecting our merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden with Korean destroyer, Munmu the Great Ham, successfully completed the protection mission for Koreans living overseas on August 17, and raised the Korean Navy’s status.

At 8 AM on that day, the unit successfully evacuated 18 Koreans living in Libya and 86 foreigners from the UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Malta from Tripoli port, Libya, to Valleta, Malta.

The joint chiefs of staff said, “According to the government’s policy that our people should be evacuated to a safer place due to Libyan issues that are getting serious, the Cheonghae unit has been thrown into the evacuation operation while conducting antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Departing from the area of the Gulf of Aden on August 7, the unit passed the Suez Canal and arrived at Tripoli port, Libya. Then they started the evacuation mission of Korean and other allied nations’ people.”

Vice Admiral Koo Ok-Hyoe, director of military assistance, who commanded the operation, said that the combined operation to evacuate our people could be carried out successfully through prior consultation with the U.S. and other allied nations at the instigation of the joint chiefs of staff as the local circumstances are rapidly becoming unstable.

This is the unit’s second evacuation mission following that in 2011, and it is expected to make a great contribution to repaying the participants in the Korean War and improving Korea’s status by not only successfully achieving the purpose of the dispatch – protection of our people in case of emergency – but by supporting the safe evacuation of allied nations’ people such as those from the UK, Italy, etc.

Prior to this, the unit also provided aid to secure safety by evacuating 87 Korean employees and 517 foreign employees the Korean company hired from Zwitina port, Libya, on August 14 and 16 as well, by offering local information and indirect security.

By Seok-Jong, Lee < seokjong@dema.mil.kr >

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>