Seoul: A South Korean military transport aircraft successfully landed at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, bringing home 204 nationals from Saudi Arabia along with seven foreign nationals. This marks the first airlift evacuation using a military plane since the Middle East conflict intensified late last month.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the KC-330 Cygnus multirole aerial tanker touched down at 5:59 p.m., concluding an operation dubbed "Desert Shine." The mission was initiated due to the escalating conflict between U.S.-Israeli forces and Iran, which has caused widespread flight disruptions, leaving thousands of South Korean nationals stranded in the region.
President Lee Jae Myung expressed his gratitude to those involved in the successful execution of the operation. He praised the collaborative efforts of various government agencies, emphasizing the meaningful outcome achieved under challenging circumstances. The evacuees had been residing in multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, before assembling in Riyadh to board the aircraft.
The group included more than 140 individuals from Saudi Arabia, 24 from Bahrain, 14 from Kuwait, and 28 from Lebanon. Among the foreign nationals were two Japanese citizens, along with individuals from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the Philippines.
South Korean officials disclosed that the government requested assistance from at least ten countries to secure safe flight routes for the military aircraft's return from Riyadh. While South Koreans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar were able to return via commercial and chartered flights, those in other parts of the region faced significant challenges, prompting the use of a military aircraft for evacuation.
Efforts to arrange commercial flights through negotiations with airlines in Saudi Arabia and South Korea proved insufficient due to safety concerns, leading to the deployment of the military plane. This operation marks the seventh instance of military aircraft being used to evacuate South Koreans from conflict zones abroad, with the previous one occurring in 2024 amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.