Six more South Korean nationals were evacuated from Yemen aboard a warship Thursday amid political unrest in the Middle Eastern nation, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
The South Koreans left the Yemeni island of Socotra aboard the South Korean warship Wang Geon around 9:45 a.m. (local time) and are expected to arrive in Oman Friday.
“It’s a relief our people on Socotra were safely evacuated, and we will continue to put in our best efforts to fulfill our task of safeguarding our people in Yemen,” the ministry quoted South Korean Ambassador to Yemen Lee Young-ho as saying.
During the operation, two Americans, two Canadians, one New Zealander and one Swiss were also evacuated aboard the warship at the request of the respective countries, the ministry said.
Of the 38 South Koreans in the country, 14 now remain, it added.
On March 26, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Gulf Arab nations launched air strikes against Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, which ousted Yemen’s government and dissolved the parliament in early February. (Yonhap)