Turkiye 2nd Relief Team Departs Tomorrow Night... 55 Tons of Relief Supplies Including Blankets Delivered

Turkiye 2nd Relief Team Dispatched on the Night of the 16th

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Our government will dispatch the 2nd team of the "Republic of Korea Emergency Relief Team" to T?rkiye at 11 PM on the 16th. Their main mission is to support disaster victims and to identify and discuss the requests of the Turkish government regarding reconstruction and recovery. This decision follows the request from Turkish authorities, who emphasized the need for support for disaster victims rather than search and rescue operations, as the 72-hour "golden time" for saving lives has passed.

On the 15th, Foreign Minister Park Jin chaired the "Public-Private Joint Overseas Emergency Relief Council," where the dispatch of the 2nd emergency relief team and the provision of 55 tons of relief supplies were decided. The 2nd emergency relief team consists of 21 members, including 2 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 from the KDRT medical team (National Medical Center, Korea International Medical & Health Foundation, Ministry of National Defense), 5 from KOICA, and 4 from private emergency relief organizations. The joint public-private relief supplies will be delivered to T?rkiye via two military transport aircraft and commercial flights. The 55 tons of relief supplies, including tents, mats, blankets, and sleeping bags, will be loaded onto three separate flights.

Our emergency relief team conducting rescue operations in the Antakya region of Turkey

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The situation is now transitioning from rescue to recovery," adding, "Since supply and demand must be matched, we plan to identify and discuss what the Turkish government wants in the reconstruction efforts."

The 1st emergency relief team is scheduled to return to Seoul on the 18th after completing their mission. The 1st team, consisting of 118 members, focused on search and rescue operations for missing persons in the heavily earthquake-affected Antakya region and successfully rescued a total of eight people. Currently, T?rkiye is facing harsh conditions such as severe cold and disruptions in electricity and water supply, which have also led to deteriorating local security. As a result, as of the 14th, about 16 countries reportedly decided to withdraw their relief teams.

Considering these circumstances, the Korean government decided to move the 1st emergency relief team to the safer nearby city of Adana on the morning of the 15th local time. They will complete their mission and arrive in Seoul on the 18th. Both the 1st and 2nd emergency relief teams will not hold separate welcoming or send-off ceremonies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.