1. The government held an interagency meeting at the Foreign Ministry on December 7 to seek ways to respond to Typhoon Hagupit that had hit the Philippines. The meeting for the protection of overseas Koreans was chaired by Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Lee Jeong-gwan of the Foreign Ministry and attended by officials of such relevant government agencies as the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.

- The meeting covered ways to protect the Koreans staying in the Philippines led by the local diplomatic mission of the ROK; the possibility of mobilizing the Arau Unit, the ROK military unit deployed to the country, in the event of a contingency and dispatching an emergency response team to the site if necessary; and the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance from the ROK government to help the country recover from the typhoon.

2. The ROK government will continue to closely monitor developments related to the typhoon in the Philippines, while strengthening its response posture in order to minimize possible damage to local Koreans and swiftly respond to an emergency situation in case it arises. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation