- ROK Government Conducts Emergency Readiness Assessment in Bolivia to Protect Local Korean Nationals

- Prompt Response Team’s 3rd Simulation Exercise and Public-Private Overseas Safety Advisory Group’s 2nd Mission of 2025 Held –

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MOFA), in cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency and civilian experts, conducted a simulation exercise of its Prompt Response Team (PRT) and a mission of the public-private overseas safety advisory group at the ROK Embassy in Bolivia from June 30 (Mon.) to July 1 (Tue.) to review the emergency preparedness posture for protecting the Korean nationals in Bolivia.

※ Since 2005, MOFA has dispatched PRTs to scenes of overseas emergencies to protect local Korean nationals. Additionally, it conducts regular joint PRT simulations with overseas missions and other relevant institutions to enhance preparedness against various critical situations.

2. Given escalating armed protests between political forces in Bolivia ahead of its presidential election this coming November, this year’s simulation was conducted on a hypothetical scenario of massive unrest, with the aim to assess the readiness posture of the coordination system among MOFA, the overseas mission and other relevant agencies for protecting the Korean nationals in Bolivia.

3. ROK Ambassador to Bolivia Lee Jang emphasized that “This simulation exercise served as a valuable opportunity to preemptively examine the roles of and the collaboration mechanisms among relevant agencies for response to critical situations and to enhance preparedness for protecting our nationals during such situations.”

4. On the sidelines of the exercise, the PRT delegation held meetings with the chiefs of the police and the fire department in Zona Sur, a neighborhood in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, where many Korean nationals reside. The delegation requested close cooperation of Bolivian authorities in the event of future emergencies. It also hosted a safety briefing for Korean residents to share updates on the local safety situation and emergency protocols and reviewed the emergency contact system between the Korean community and the Embassy.

5. Furthermore, Professor Lee Man-Jong, a civilian counter-terrorism expert who serves as President of the Korean Association for Terrorism Studies, joined the delegation to assess the Embassy’s crisis response system and offer safety advice tailored to the situation in Bolivia.

6. MOFA will continue to hold PRT simulation exercises and missions of the public-private overseas safety advisory group in preparation against various critical situations. By doing so, it will further bolster its emergency response capabilities and coordination with other relevant agencies in order to protect lives and ensure safety of Korean nationals from emergencies and accidents abroad.