South Korea will dispatch a 44-member disaster relief team to flood-hit Nepal to support search and rescue operations, including efforts to locate South Koreans who remain missing, after the Nepali government formally requested Seoul's assistance, the Foreign Ministry here said Tuesday.
The ministry said Tuesday it approved the deployment of the Korea Disaster Relief Team following a decision by the public-private Overseas Emergency Relief Council, an interagency body comprising government agencies and relevant private-sector organizations that coordinates South Korea's response to major overseas disasters.
The move comes as damage continues to mount from massive floods that struck Nepal's northern Rasuwa district on Aug. 26.
Seoul had been preparing a possible KDRT deployment, but had been awaiting a request from Nepali authorities, which had largely relied on their own military and police for search and rescue operations.
"The Nepali government has now asked South Korea to dispatch the team to assist with search and rescue efforts in the affected areas," according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry.
The 44-member team will be led by Lee Kyu-ho, director general for development cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, and comprise personnel from the ministry, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the National Fire Agency and other agencies.
The team is scheduled to depart for Nepal aboard a South Korean military transport aircraft Tuesday night.
The KDRT will be deployed separately from a government rapid response team already on the ground in Nepal, which has been supporting efforts to locate the nine missing South Koreans since last week.
The government has been preparing to deploy a KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker and transport aircraft operated by the South Korean Air Force to transport the relief personnel and equipment.
During an approximately 10-day mission, the KDRT will work in close coordination with Nepali authorities to conduct search and rescue operations for victims of the floods, including South Korean nationals who remain out of contact.
The KDRT is a government-led emergency relief unit comprising personnel from government ministries and related agencies that can be deployed following major overseas disasters to conduct search and rescue operations, provide medical assistance and carry out other relief activities.
Its deployment is decided by the public-private Overseas Emergency Relief Council under South Korea's Overseas Emergency Relief Act.
South Korea has previously dispatched KDRTs in response to major overseas disasters, including the 2023 earthquake in Turkey, the 2018 dam collapse in Laos and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
The government had also announced $1 million in humanitarian assistance on Aug. 27 to support Nepal's flood response through international organizations operating in the country.
"The government will continue communicating with the Nepali government and actively explore ways to provide the assistance needed on the ground in Nepal," the Foreign Ministry said.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com