1. The government of the Republic of Korea has decided to provide 500,000 US dollars in emergency assistance to the south Pacific country of Vanuatu, where super cyclone “Pam” on March 13 caused many casualties and extensive property damage.

2. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that the cyclone has so far left 44 people dead; some 200,000 others homeless; 90% of housing structures in the Port Villa area destroyed; and some 17,000 children under the age of five exposed to the risk of contracting diseases in Vanuatu. In order to help the country recover from the cyclone, the UN will announce a Flash Appeal to the international community in the near future.

◦ The President of Vanuatu, at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction currently underway in Sendai, Japan, actively appealed to the international community to help the country cope with the impact of cyclone damage.

3. So far, no Korean has been confirmed to have sustained damage from the cyclone. Taking humanitarian needs of Vanuatu into utmost consideration, the ROK government will finalize as soon as possible specific channels to provide its assistance through as well as areas it will be used in. 


                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation