Seoul, Oct 5
A South Korean military aircraft brought 96 nationals home from Lebanon on Saturday, the country's foreign ministry said, in its first evacuation operation amid escalating tensions in the region.
The KC-330 military transport plane landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, at around 12:50 p.m. (local time), the ministry said.
The military jet departed from Beirut on Friday afternoon (local time) after arriving earlier that day. It took off from the southeastern city of Busan on Thursday, news agency reported.
One Lebanese national, a family member of a South Korean citizen, was also on board, officials said, with over 30 per cent of those evacuated being minors.
The evacuation plan was implemented as hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group continued to escalate, making it increasingly difficult for foreign nationals in the Middle East to leave on commercial flights.
Kim Seo-kyoung, a 39-year-old who was the first to disembark the plane with her two children, thanked officials for the operation, describing the serious situation in Lebanon due to bombings at night.
"Our house would shake due to the bombing, we couldn't sleep properly," Kim said. "We are very grateful the government sent a transport plane."
"Our government will continue to closely monitor the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East to ensure the safety of our citizens. We will take all necessary measures to protect them," the ministry said in a press release.