S.Korean military jet bringing 163 nationals home from Israel
Baku, October 14, AZERTAC
A South Korean military aircraft was bringing 163 nationals home from Israel, along with some 60 foreigners, on Saturday after an armed clash broke out between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Hamas group, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
A KC-330 military transport plane carrying the South Koreans departed from Tel Aviv early Saturday (local time) and is expected to land at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, later at night, the ministry said.
The plane is also bringing 51 Japanese and six Singaporean nationals, as part of Seoul's efforts to provide humanitarian cooperation, the ministry added.
It marks the first such transportation of South Koreans by a military plane and the second flight to bring South Koreans home from Israel following the return of 192 people aboard a Korean Air plane Wednesday.
Of the 163 people on board, 82 were short-term travelers, while the rest were residents.
About 470 South Koreans remain in Israel. Most of them are residents living there long-term and have chosen to stay behind of their own accord, a foreign ministry official said, adding the diplomatic mission there continues to advise them to leave the area for safety.
Roughly 630 South Koreans had been staying in Israel before the military plane took the people aboard.
No South Korean casualties have been reported since the conflict began.
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