South Korea is expanding its humanitarian response to Nepal after devastating floods and landslides struck the country’s Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending 38,320 thermal blankets and additional emergency supplies to people displaced by the disaster.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the latest relief shipment is valued at 130 million won (about $95,850) and consists of 36,000 emergency thermal blankets and 2,320 heavier thermal blankets. The supplies are scheduled to travel to Nepal aboard a commercial flight on Sept. 5.
The shipment adds to Seoul’s earlier commitment of $1 million in humanitarian assistance, which is being delivered through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). That assistance is intended to support access to drinking water, first-aid and hygiene kits, and basic health supplies in affected communities.
South Korea has also deployed a 44-member Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to Nepal to assist with search-and-rescue operations. The team arrived in Kathmandu on Sept. 2 carrying rescue dogs and specialized equipment, including drones, victim-detection devices and thermal-imaging equipment.
The Korean response comes as the scale of the disaster continues to emerge. The Aug. 26 catastrophe, linked to a glacier collapse that unleashed destructive flooding and debris through the Himalayan region, has killed more than 1,200 people and left thousands missing, according to recent international reporting.
The crisis is also affecting critical infrastructure. Reuters reported that Nepal may need to rebuild around 20,000 homes, including approximately 7,500 that were completely destroyed. Search teams have simultaneously been working around damaged hydropower facilities where hundreds of people may still be unaccounted for.
There was a significant breakthrough on Sept. 4: two workers were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after the disaster, according to Reuters and AP. The development has renewed hopes that other survivors could still be found.
South Korea’s assistance therefore goes beyond immediate material relief. Seoul is simultaneously supporting emergency supplies, victim identification and search-and-rescue operations while maintaining contact with Nepalese authorities over additional assistance.
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