- Prompt Response Team’s Simulation Exercise Held to Protect Korean Nationals in Ship Accidents -

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Korean Embassy in Egypt, conducted a simulation exercise of its Prompt Response Team (PRT) and activities of a joint public-private advisory group for overseas safety from September 15 to 16 in Egypt in order to review the emergency response readiness posture for protecting local Korean nationals and to provide them with swift and effective consular assistance in the event of disasters and other emergencies.

※ Since 2005, MOFA has dispatched PRTs to scenes of overseas disasters to protect local Korean nationals. Additionally, it conducts PRT simulation exercises jointly with overseas diplomatic missions and other relevant institutions on a regular basis to enhance preparedness against various critical situations.

2. In response to the recent increase in ship accidents at famous tourist spots overseas, this exercise mainly focused on reviewing how the joint response system of MOFA, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Korean Embassy in Egypt works in the event of a hypothetical accident involving a ship carrying Korean passengers.

3. Moon Hyun-Cheol, professor at Honam University and civilian expert in disasters and safety who joined the exercise and the activities as part of the advisory group, assessed the public security situation and terrorism environment in Egypt; reviewed the Embassy’s crisis management system including its relevant on-site action manual; and offered safety advice tailored to the local situation. Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries shared information on the operation of Korean vessels in high-risk waters including the Red Sea, as well as several cases in which assistance had been provided in response to ship accidents.

4. On the sidelines, Yoo Ji Sung, head of a team under the Crisis Management Division at MOFA, had a meeting with officials from the National Security Agency of Egypt and requested that relevant Egyptian authorities maintain cooperative relations with the Korean Embassy and swiftly respond to incidents and accidents that affect Korean nationals.

5. The delegation also hosted a safety briefing for member of the local Korean community and personnel of local travel agencies and shared recent local, Korean-related incident/accident cases and safety precautions and underscored the need for establishing emergency contact networks and maintaining permanent communication channels between the local Korean Embassy and community.

6. Korean Ambassador to Egypt Kim Yonghyon mentioned, “This PRT simulation exercise served as an opportunity to review our system for responding to ship accidents and other emergencies and to strengthen our emergency preparedness posture for the protection of Korean nationals.”

7. MOFA will continue to conduct the PRT simulation exercise and activities of the joint public-private advisory group for overseas safety in preparation against various critical situations overseas. By doing so, it will further enhance its comprehensive safety net in order to protect lives and safety of Korean nationals abroad.