Kathmandu, Sept. 6: South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who is on an official visit to Nepal, held talks with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal on Sunday, with the two sides discussing ongoing search, rescue and relief efforts following the devastating Bhotekoshi River floods.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also focused on efforts to locate South Korean nationals who went missing after the floods of Bhadra 10, the ministry said.
Khanal thanked the South Korean government for deploying an inter-agency rapid response team and the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to the flood-affected areas, as well as for providing humanitarian assistance and relief supplies.
Khanal said Nepal’s priority was to move ahead with reconstruction by developing disaster-resilient, sustainable and safe infrastructure, and expressed hope for continued support from South Korea.
Cho said South Korea was ready to assist Nepal in post-disaster reconstruction. He said the international community has a historical responsibility toward countries such as Nepal that are suffering losses due to climate change.
Cho also said Nepal and South Korea should work together to raise international awareness about the impacts of climate change. He pledged that South Korea would support Nepal’s position at international forums, including the Conference of the Parties (COP).
South Korea would also advocate for the financial assistance Nepal should receive from the international community, Cho said.
