"Specially Significant Role" South Korean Military Assisted Japanese Evacuation in Sudan Gunfight

Japanese media reported that the South Korean military actively assisted Japanese nationals escaping from Sudan in North Africa, where armed clashes between warlords broke out.

On the 26th, the Mainichi Shimbun quoted a senior official from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying, "Among several countries involved in the evacuation of Japanese nationals, the South Korean military played a particularly significant role."

The Foreign Ministry official stated, "At the time, gunfire was ongoing right before our eyes, but the South Korean military transported Japanese nationals by vehicle," adding, "The improvement in Korea-Japan relations had a positive impact on the ground."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are shaking hands while posing for a commemorative photo before the South Korea-Japan summit held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo, Japan, on the afternoon of the 16th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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According to the report, at the request of the Japanese government, on the 23rd (local time), several Japanese nationals were transported by vehicles prepared by the South Korean military and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to Port Sudan, a northeastern port city, covering approximately 850 km. Subsequently, the Japanese government evacuated a total of 45 people, including Japanese nationals, their spouses, and children, to the neighboring country Djibouti aboard a Japan Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft waiting in Port Sudan.

Mainichi evaluated, "Although the South Korean military and the Self-Defense Forces have cooperated in the past during emergencies in third countries, this time the coordination took place amid improving bilateral relations following last month's Korea-Japan summit." Japan safely evacuated about 60 of its nationals staying in Sudan with assistance not only from South Korea but also from the United Nations and France.

Japanese residents living in Sudan arrived in Djibouti on the 25th and are listening to an explanation from Shunsuke Takei, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (right).
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

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As South Korea played an active role in assisting the evacuation of Japanese nationals, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and others expressed their gratitude.

On the 25th, Prime Minister Kishida tweeted, "I would like to express my gratitude to South Korea, the UAE, related countries, the United Nations, related organizations, embassies, and the Self-Defense Forces."

The Foreign Ministry also stated in a press release issued that day, "We have received cooperation from many countries and organizations including South Korea, France, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, and the International Red Cross, and we sincerely appreciate it."

At a press conference that morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese government spokesperson, responded to a question about "what kind of assistance was received from South Korea and the UAE" by saying, "With the cooperation of South Korea and the UAE, we moved overland from Khartoum to Port Sudan."

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