Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun on Aug. 27 discusses with Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal the flood damage to the South Asian country. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun on Aug. 27 discussed over the phone with Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal the extent of the flood damage to the South Asian country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul said Minister Khanal on Aug. 26 gave a briefing on the damage and overall response to the floods in the Rasuwa region to Minister Cho, who expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.

Minister Cho pledged USD 1 million in humanitarian aid through global organizations operating in the region "to support the Nepalese government's swift response and early recovery efforts."

He also said an emergency meeting that afternoon chaired by President Lee Jae Myung decided to mobilize all available resources and efforts into search and rescue operations for missing persons, adding, "We will also consider and proceed with the rapid deployment of our country's Korea Disaster Relief Team."

Minister Cho also stressed the gravity of the situation, mentioning nine Korean nationals unaccounted for in Nepal and 10 others taking shelter while awaiting rescue, and requested Kathmandu's attention and support to ensure swift and safe rescue operations.

In addition, Seoul's joint rapid response team dispatched to Nepal worked closely with authorities there and asked for the Nepalese government's active cooperation to ensure that search and rescue operations for Korean nationals could proceed smoothly.

The two ministers agreed to maintain close communication and intergovernment cooperation to manage the flood damage in Nepal and conduct search and rescue operations for Korean nationals there.

aisylu@korea.kr