16 Koreans leave Israel via Japanese Self-Defense Forces plane

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16 Koreans leave Israel via Japanese Self-Defense Forces plane

Published: 03 Nov. 2023, 10:47 Updated: 03 Nov. 2023, 11:35

Korean evacuees from Israel offboard a South Korean Air Force aircraft KC-330 at the Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi on Oct. 14. Onboard the plane were also 51 Japanese and six Singaporean nationals. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A Japanese Self-Defense Force plane evacuated 16 Koreans in Israel on Thursday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

According to the Foreign Ministry on Friday, evacuation took place around 4:47 p.m., and the evacuees are currently en route to Japan.

As of Friday, around 420 Koreans are still in Israel.

On Oct. 10, 192 Koreans became the first group to be evacuated from Israel following a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Three days later, on Oct. 13, an additional 163 Koreans, 51 Japanese nationals and six Singaporeans departed from Tel Aviv on a Korean military aircraft.

The Japanese government thanked the Korean government for its assistance in safely evacuating Japanese citizens from the conflict zone.

On Thursday, a Korean family of five, which included a Palestinian husband who had been in Gaza since the Hamas incursion a month ago, safely crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border checkpoint.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]