51 Japanese Passengers Also Boarded Korean Repatriation Flight... Japan Expresses "Gratitude"

Priority Assigned to Nationals, Remaining Seats Allocated to Japanese and Singaporeans

The government dispatched a military transport plane to Israel, which was caught off guard by an attack from the Palestinian armed group Hamas, to support the return of 163 nationals residing there. The transport plane also carried 51 Japanese and 6 Singaporean nationals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense announced that at 10:45 p.m. on the 14th, the Air Force's KC-330 'Cygnus' transport plane carrying 220 people safely landed on the runway. It was the moment when 163 Koreans, including 81 long-term residents and 82 short-term travelers, safely returned home.

On the night of the 14th, South Korean nationals and other residents who had been isolated in Israel following a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas arrived at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. They were seen disembarking from the Republic of Korea Air Force's KC-330 'Cygnus' multipurpose aerial refueling transport aircraft and receiving guidance.

The group arriving in Korea via the military transport aircraft included 81 long-term Korean residents, 82 short-term travelers, 51 people including Japanese nationals and some spouses of Japanese nationals with other nationalities, and 6 Singaporeans. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Notably, this transport also included 57 foreign nationals such as Japanese and Singaporeans. It is reported that after prioritizing seats for Koreans on the Cygnus military transport plane, which has 230 available seats, the remaining seats were offered to the Japanese side.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Foreign Minister of Japan Kamikawa Yoko and Koichi Mizushima, the Japanese Ambassador to Israel, each expressed their gratitude for this repatriation support.

Japanese citizens expressed their thanks to Korea overnight through social media for helping Japanese nationals escape.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of the 14th, it is estimated that about 440 long-term residents and about 10 short-term residents remain in Israel.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Among the residents, there are journalists who entered for coverage, and since the border is still open, there is a limit to forcibly boarding them. If they wish to leave, we are guiding them to exit Israel via land routes or flights through third countries."

Regarding Korean residents staying in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the government is currently confirming their safety and maintaining frequent contact.

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