1. The Foreign Ministry evacuated three Koreans who wanted to withdraw from Sana'a, Yemen, on a UN plane used for evacuation of UN staff at 19:30, March 31 (Korea Standard Time). Two officials of the ROK diplomatic mission in Yemen also departed from Sana'a on the plane. The two officials will be relocated to a temporary diplomatic mission, to be established on a vessel of the Cheonghae Unit operating in waters off Yemen, and protect the remaining Koreans in Yemen.

2. This decision was made considering that it is extremely uncertain if an additional evacuation method could be secured amid the deteriorating security conditions after the first airstrike on March 26; and that establishing a temporary mission on the vessel with mobility will contribute to efficiently protecting Koreans overseas. The decision was also made in active cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

3. The UN made an urgent decision to evacuate all remaining 20 personnel on March 31 because of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Yemen. Most of diplomatic missions of Western countries in Yemen already withdrew and other missions which initially expressed the intent to stay (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.) are now withdrawing with their nationals. 


            Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation