KATHMANDU: South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is arriving in Nepal today (Saturday) for a three-day visit to discuss cooperation and assistance in the search for South Korean citizens missing following the devastating Bhotekoshi floods and landslides.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho will meet his Nepali counterpart, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, during his visit. He is also scheduled to meet the families of the missing South Korean citizens.
Nine South Korean nationals working on a hydropower project went missing after severe flooding in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26. The missing include six employees of Doosan Energy and three employees of Korea Southeast Power.
During his meeting with Khanal, Cho is expected to seek the Nepali government’s support in making the search for the missing South Korean citizens more effective and expediting rescue efforts.
The two sides are also expected to discuss measures to support the rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-affected areas, as well as other issues of bilateral interest.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Cho will visit the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) deployed in Nepal and encourage its members involved in the search and rescue operation.
He will also meet representatives of the companies involved in the search for the missing South Korean nationals.
The KDRT, deployed by the South Korean government, has been conducting search and rescue operations in coordination with Nepali security agencies and rescue teams from the companies concerned. The team is using advanced equipment, including helicopters, drones, search dogs and thermal imaging devices, to locate the missing people.
Cho is scheduled to leave Nepal for France immediately after completing his three-day visit.
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