1. The Korean government has decided to provide an initial US$5 million in humanitarian assistance to Türkiye to help its people, who suffered damage from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s southern border area with Syria on February 6.

° The Korean government held a director-general-level interagency meeting on February 6 to discuss the dispatch of a Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to help Türkiye in handling the aftermath of the earthquake, and sent an advance fact-finding team to the affected area later in the night. 

° The government also dispatched to the affected area two officials, including the overseas safety officer at the Korean Embassy in Türkiye, to check the safety of the local Koreans and assist them with their evacuation. 

2. President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the government to quickly send rescue workers and emergency medical supplies aboard Korea’s military transport aircraft to help Türkiye recover from the damage of the earthquake, and to work closely with Türkiye authorities through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions in the country.

° President Yoon also instructed that, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relevant government agencies work together to actively come up with assistance measures in the event that Türkiye needs additional assistance.

3. The Korean government held a meeting of the public-private joint council for overseas emergency relief chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin at 2:00 pm, February 7, to discuss ways to help Türkiye in handling the aftermath of the earthquake, and decided to send a KDRT.

° In the meeting, the participants decided to dispatch a KDRT composed of a total of about 60 people, including those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, and to send medical and other emergency relief supplies aboard military transport aircraft.

* A total of some 110 people, including 50 service people, will be sent to Türkiye.

° At the meeting, the participants also finalized and approved a specific dispatch plan and safety measures for the KDRT, and discussed ways for interagency and private-public cooperation.

° The meeting’s chair, Foreign Minister Park Jin, asked all government agencies to work very closely in order for Korea to contribute actively to response to the humanitarian disaster of the international community through the dispatch of the KDRT to help Türkiye recover from the earthquake. 

° The KDRT will decide what operations it will carry out and in which areas it will do so after consultations with its counterparts from other countries dispatched to Türkiye as well as with the UN, and work closely with various rescue workers from the international community and the Türkiye government. 

° For a swift implementation of what was decided at the meeting of the public-private joint council for overseas emergency relief, an emergency relief headquarters has been set up with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyundong as its head.

4. To Syria, the Korean government will offer humanitarian assistance as soon as the relevant international organization announces what assistance is needed.