Yoon Encourages Participants of Promise Operation... "Nation's Life and Safety Are Top Priority"

Yoon "Managed operations onboard but frontline struggled"
"Diplomatic capabilities yielded results" in allied cooperation

President Yoon Suk-yeol called participants who successfully carried out the 'Promise' operation to rescue our nationals in Sudan, where armed clashes occurred, to the presidential office on the 1st to encourage them.

On the same day, President Yoon praised the efforts of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense at the outdoor garden of 'Pine Grass,' a rest facility in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office building, according to a briefing by Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the presidential office.

At the event, President Yoon emphasized, "The lives and safety of our citizens are the top priority, and overseas nationals are no exception. I also received frequent reports on the operation's progress while on the plane to the United States and monitored the situation, but thanks to the hard work of those on the front lines, the mission was successfully completed."

He expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank Ambassador Namgung Hwan (Ambassador to Sudan) and embassy staff who directly moved our nationals amid the dangerous situation with bullets flying, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials who worked overnight to secure cooperation allowing our military transport aircraft to pass through the airspace of more than ten countries."

Regarding the help from allied countries, he mentioned, "The success of the Promise operation is a result of our diplomatic capabilities. It was possible because our government has built mutual trust through cooperation with allied countries such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia."

He also said regarding the evacuation of Japanese nationals who could not leave Sudan during the operation, "It was a natural act and an opportunity to build cooperation with allied countries."

President Yoon evaluated, "Our military also demonstrated excellent operational capabilities by being deployed to the operation in the shortest time and completing the mission. This was the first overseas operation involving joint forces from the army, navy, and air force, successfully transporting our citizens safely."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Ambassador Namgung Hwan recalled, "When the fighting started, there was fear of death. On the sixth day of the conflict, nearby buildings were blown up, causing unrest among the staff."

Although there was an opinion that diplomats should evacuate first at the time, he calmed them by saying, "It is dangerous whether we leave or stay here. If we leave, our nationals will lose their last refuge."

Ambassador Namgung told the staff, "The embassy exists for the people, so it is right for us to protect it until the end," and the staff followed this and stayed until the end.

He expressed gratitude to President Yoon for the prompt and bold decisions such as dispatching transport aircraft and the Cheonghae Unit, and said that encouragement calls from the Minister and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs were a great support.

A counselor from the Embassy of Yemen who escaped together introduced, "As we left Sudan, we passed 15 military posts, and at some posts, when we said it was the Korean embassy, they greeted us in Korean saying 'Annyeonghaseyo' and played Korean songs. This confirmed that Korea's soft power, including K-pop, is influencing the world."

Sudanese expatriates, who were isolated due to armed clashes between warlords and evacuated through our government's 'Promise' operation, are arriving at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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