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Korean Embassy in Myanmar dispatches consul to stricken Mandalay as Seoul offers $2 million in earthquake relief

Published: 30 Mar. 2025, 16:33

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Rescue workers carry out a search operation at the site of a building that collapsed following an earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 30. At least 17 people were confirmed dead, 32 injured and 83 were still missing in Bangkok, following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and caused tremors in neighboring Thailand. [EPA/YONHAP]

Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that it would dispatch a consul from the Korean Embassy in Yangon to Mandalay to provide necessary consular assistance, including daily necessities, to Korean residents affected by the earthquake in Myanmar.

The Foreign Ministry said the previous day that Korea would offer Myanmar $2 million in humanitarian aid for earthquake relief.

A 7.7-magnitude hit 33 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, on Friday, killing over a thousand, according to the Myanmar government and international reports. No Koreans have been affected by the earthquake so far.

It is estimated that there are approximately 2,000 Korean residents living in Myanmar, with around 1,700 living in Yangon, the largest city, and 70 in Mandalay.

A total of 20,000 Korean residents live in Thailand, which suffered damage from the earthquake, with approximately 12,000 in the capital Bangkok, 4,000 in Chiang Mai, and 260 in Chiang Rai, respectively.

The local embassies are currently checking with relevant authorities in Myanmar and Thailand and local Korean communities to determine if there were Korean casualties.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]