AFGHAN NATIONALS SETTLE IN JINCHEON

[Anchor Lead]

Afghan nationals who assisted South Korean operations in Afghanistan, along with their families, arrived in the country on board a military aircraft on Thursday. They underwent quarantine procedures and moved to a temporary facility in Jincheon, Chungcheongbukdo Province on Friday. Thirteen other Afghan evacuees who have left Pakistan have arrived in Korea Friday.

[Pkg]

A military transport plane carrying Afghans lands at Incheon International Airport. Local staff members who worked with South Korean officials and their families landed after an eleven and a half hour flight covering a distance of some 10,000 kilometers. An extended ID verification process at Pakistan airport had delayed departure time but most travelers appeared healthy.

[Soundbite] Choi Jong-moon(Second Vice Foreign Minister) : "Various security checks were conducted to alleviate any identity-related concerns."

Many of the arrivals were children holding hands with their parents as well as infants held by their mothers. More than half of the total Afghans entering Korea are minors including around one hundred children 5 years and younger. There are also three newborn babies. Upon arrival, they were tested for COVID-19 and moved to a temporary facility just 30 minutes away from the airport. Upon arrival, they were tested for COVID-19 and all tested negative. Following that step, they were moved to a temporary facility (National Human Resources Development Institute) in Jincheon, Chungcheongbukdo Province Friday morning. Another military plane carrying 13 Afghans consisting of 3 families left Pakistan Thursday evening. It arrived on Friday. What looked like an impossible task of fleeing Taliban-controled Afghanistan has come true for the evacuees who now have a new life ahead in South Korea, the country of their co-workers.