South Korea dispatches second relief team to Nepal for flood recovery

South Korea has dispatched its second Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to Nepal to assist with reconstruction and recovery efforts following devastating floods and landslides. The eight-member team, comprising officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the National Medical Center, departed via a KC-330 military transport aircraft.

In addition to personnel, the aircraft carried approximately 4 tons of relief supplies worth 180 million won ($134,200), including tents, blankets, and clothing donated by South Korean companies and NGOs. The mission is expected to last seven days, focusing on rebuilding efforts as the Nepalese government shifts its priority from active search and rescue to recovery.

The deployment follows the mission of a 44-member first contingent that focused on searching for nine South Korean citizens—six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three from Korea South-East Power Co.—who went missing on August 26 near the Nepal-Tibet border. While the first team is scheduled to return home, the South Korean government is reorganizing a joint rapid response team to continue supporting families of the missing and assisting Nepalese authorities with forensic identification tasks.