[Exclusive] Some Koreans Also Evacuated on Japan-Bound Charter Flight from Saudi Arabia... First Korea-Japan Cooperation Amid Middle East Crisis

Scheduled to Arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport on the Morning of the 11th

It has been confirmed that some Korean nationals were aboard a charter flight departing from Saudi Arabia and heading to Japan. Amid the ongoing evacuation operations by governments around the world to transport their citizens following the situation in the Middle East, this marks the first case of cooperation between neighboring countries Korea and Japan.

According to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Saudi Arabia and local sources on March 11, some Korean nationals boarded a charter flight (operated by Ethiopian Airlines) from Riyadh International Airport to Narita Airport in Tokyo at approximately 10:50 p.m. the previous night (local time 4:50 p.m.). The flight is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on the same day.

Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 Departure Hall Check-in Counter / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Coordination with the Japanese side appears to have been carried out urgently. As the Japanese government also had to prioritize the transport of its own citizens, it is said that any remaining seats on the flight were offered to the Korean side at the last minute through negotiation. The embassy issued an urgent notice to Korean nationals staying in the region only on the morning of the boarding day, the previous day, and immediately accepted applications for up to approximately 20 people to board the charter flight arranged by the Japanese government. However, the exact number of actual passengers has not been confirmed. An official at the local diplomatic mission stated, "For the safety of our nationals, it is difficult to disclose specific details such as the number of evacuees."

Meanwhile, the government is preparing several additional measures to ensure the safe return of Korean nationals currently staying in the Middle East who wish to return home. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Korean nationals staying in 14 countries in the Middle East decreased from 21,000 as of March 3 to 14,700 as of the previous day. In particular, the number of short-term residents, excluding local expatriates, was reduced by about half, from 4,100 to 2,100 during the same period.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.