South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun Arrives in Nepal, Search for Nine Missing Citizens High on Agenda

Dragon Media Correspondent

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun arrived in Nepal on Saturday for a three-day official visit.

During the visit, he is scheduled to hold talks with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal. Discussions are expected to focus on Nepal’s ongoing search and rescue efforts for South Korean nationals who went missing after the devastating floods and landslides in Rasuwa on August 26.

Nine South Korean citizens working at hydropower project sites in Rasuwa were reported missing in the disaster. Of them, six were employees of Doosan Enerbility and three were from Korea South-East Power Company.

Cho is expected to discuss with the Nepali side what additional support and coordination may be required to make the search and rescue operation more effective.

During the visit, the South Korean foreign minister is also scheduled to meet family members of the missing citizens.

He is additionally expected to discuss relief, rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the flood- and landslide-affected areas, as well as broader aspects of Nepal-South Korea bilateral relations.

The two sides are also expected to explore ways to strengthen mutual cooperation and improve coordination during major disasters.

Cho’s visit is being seen as a reflection of Seoul’s high priority on locating its missing citizens and as an opportunity to further deepen cooperation with Nepal during a major humanitarian emergency.