The 10 South Koreans who were evacuated from Yemen have landed safely in Djibouti, officials here said Sunday.
The defense ministry said eight civilians and two embassy staffers checked into a hotel in Djibouti around 6:30 p.m. Friday local time, or 12:30 a.m. Sunday in Korean time, having flown in on a U.N. plane. It said two South Korean military liaison officers based in Djibouti helped the South Koreans once they arrived in the African nation.
According to the ministry, the liaison officers handled immigration and check-ins, and also transported the South Korean nationals from the airport to the hotel while booking them flights back to South Korea.
The ministry also said that two diplomats from the South Korean Embassy in Ethiopia have been dispatched to Djibouti to provide further administrative assistance.
The evacuation reduced the total number of South Koreans in Yemen to 28, including two diplomats.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Gulf Arab nations launched airstrikes against Shiite rebels, known as Houthi, which ousted Yemen’s government and dissolved the parliament in early February. The militant group has expanded its influence following its seizure of the capital, Sanaa, in September.
Most of the Koreans still remaining in Yemen opted not to leave the country, according to foreign ministry officials.
Amid rising security concerns, countries such as the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan have temporarily closed their embassies in Yemen.
Yemen is one of the six countries on which Seoul has imposed travel bans. The five other countries are Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Afghanistan. Travel to those nations requires special government permission. (Yonhap)
