Two Koreans evacuated from Haiti amid ongoing chaos

Social Affairs

Published: 27 Mar. 2024, 13:53 Updated: 27 Mar. 2024, 13:57

Two Koreans evacuated from Haiti amid ongoing chaos

A Haitian police officer tries to subdue a man who had crossed without authorization into the Binational Market and who was expelled by the Dominican military to his country, in the border area of Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on Sunday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Two Korean nationals were safely evacuated from Haiti to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday following continued gang violence and unrest in the Caribbean island nation.

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it was making “various efforts for the safety of Koreans in Haiti” and reported that around 70 Korean nationals currently live in and around the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

The two Koreans were evacuated from Haiti by helicopter with the help of the Dominican government because they expressed a desire to leave, while the other Koreans — mostly people who have lived in the country for a long time and have livelihoods there — have made no such requests.

Movement between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is still open, while regions of Haiti near the border are relatively safer than the Port-au-Prince area. The Dominican Republic has scaled up security around the border, with those efforts impacting Haitian towns near the border.

Haitians wait to cross the border to stock up on products, mainly food, at the Binational Market in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on Sunday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Korean companies inside the Sonapi Industrial Complex in Port-au-Prince are still operating normally despite the tension. However, gangs are still active around major ports and roads — key gateways for logistics movement — and companies are experiencing difficulties transporting containers.

Haitian authorities said that the destruction of power facilities, including four power plants in the metropolitan area, is causing major disruptions in the operation of bank computer networks.

The tense situation in Haiti, which has seen chronic gang violence and political unrest since the 2021 assassination of the country’s president Jovenel Moïse, spiraled into chaos in February when a series of coordinated attacks by gangs took place in Port-au-Prince.

Armed gangs attacked the National Palace and Haiti’s main international airport and set fire to parts of the Interior Ministry.

The Haitian government declared a state of emergency on March 3, with Prime Minister Ariel Henry blocked from returning to the country when Port-au-Prince's airport was closed following an attack. Henry later said he would resign once a transitional council was established.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]