Yoon directs evacuation of South Koreans from Sudan en route to U.S.

Defense

Published: 25 Apr. 2023, 09:51 Updated: 25 Apr. 2023, 10:12

Yoon directs evacuation of South Koreans from Sudan en route to U.S.

Senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye briefs reporters in Washington on Monday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol oversaw efforts to evacuate 28 Koreans from war-torn Sudan through a satellite-linked video meeting with aides on the ground while on Air Force One on the way to Washington, his office said Monday.

The Koreans left the capital city of Khartoum by land the previous day and flew to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a military aircraft amid fierce fighting between rival forces in the African nation.

Yoon was briefed in real time on the situation on the ground and, from the early stage of the evacuation operation, ordered the dispatch of military aircraft, the Cheonghae anti-piracy naval unit and security agents, according to senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.

"And today, aboard the plane to Washington, he led a videoconference via satellite with the crisis management center at the presidential office, was briefed on conditions for the safe evacuation of our nationals and directed the situation right up until their escape," she told reporters in Washington.

A presidential official said the operation was named "Promise" because it was carried out to fulfill Yoon's promise to take responsibility for the people's lives and safety until the end.

The official also noted the United Arab Emirates' role in helping the Koreans move to safety.

"If it had not been for the UAE with its information networks, it would not have been easy to rescue them by land," the official said.

Yonhap