South Korea's contingency plan in place:

Sri Lanka ready for emergency evacuation - SL Ambassador in S. Korea

By Manjula Fernando

Excerpts of an interview with Sri Lanka Ambassador Tissa Wijeratne in South Korea.

Question: The tensions between hostile neighbours North Korea and South Korea seem to be escalating. With the possibility of an all out war, have you made any contingency plans for emergency evacuation of Lankans?

Answer: As you are aware, the Korean Peninsula is in a unique position of divided countries.

Tissa Wijeratne

South and North Koreans operate under the Armistice Agreement. In fact, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement, which established Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone between the two countries. This is unique in history, as there has been no other case in which the State of Armistice has lasted for such a long time. South Koreans are used to provocations of this nature for so many decades.

The recent North Korean provocation, starting with the launch of the long-range ballistic missile in December last year, the nuclear test in February this year, the announcement of the withdrawal from the armistice agreement, the announcement to reactivate its nuclear facility and the blocking of the entrance into the Gaesung Industrial Complex have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. It is our experience that when there are military exercises by South Korea and the USA, the North Korean government reacts in numerous ways. In this backdrop, we should analyse the present tension in the peninsular.

The South Korean assessment indicates that there are no signs of imminent military provocation from North Korea against South Korea or any threat to the safety of foreign nationals residing in South Korea. Therefore, the Government has requested foreign missions in Seoul to refrain from overreacting to North Korea's propaganda and request missions to remain calm and undisturbed but stay alert and prepared. The South Korean Government is closely monitoring the current situation and will duly inform missions in the event the situation requires further notice.

However, in the case of an emergency, the South Korean Government has prepared a comprehensive evacuation plan especially for foreign nationals living in the country. In addition, the Embassy of Sri Lanka has prepared its own plan for an emergency situation where actions will be taken in consultation with the advice and guidance of the appropriate authorities of the Sri Lankan and South Korean Government.

The Sri Lankan community remains calm and peaceful but has been advised to always be prepared in the case of an evacuation. This Mission would immediately alert the community by telephone or electronically and through the network of Sri Lankan community leaders if adverse developments occur.

Q: Has anyone so far contacted the mission asking for help to return home? Have there been any consultations?

A: During the last few weeks, some Sri Lankans in South Korea have contacted the Mission to obtain an assessment of the situation in this country. One person requested assistance to return to Sri Lanka. However, during Sri Lanka's festival season, people visit their families back home. Therefore, it is our understanding that no one would like to return to Sri Lanka as a result of the tension in this peninsula.

Q: With the tension and development so far indicating a possible nuclear war, what is the feeling among the people there, especially young Lankan workers?

A: Despite these tensions, people of this country continue to attend to their day-to-day work without any interruption. Businesses, airports, ports and schools remain open and are operating as usual. PSY, the pop star, held a concert in Seoul a few days ago which was attended by over 50,000 fans and also millions all over the world via YouTube.

The public in this country is used to living with tension of this nature and do not expect a full scale war to ensue. If you ask the Korean people about the possibility of a war, they will laugh and not be overly concerned about it. Nevertheless, the South Korean Government has taken all provocations by North Korea seriously and is prepared to handle further developments in a calm and stable manner.

During April and May, Sri Lankan migrant workers organise Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations in various South Korean cities and similar celebrations are planned to continue for the upcoming months. Young Sri Lankan workers here enjoy a friendly work environment and attractive benefits. With the peaceful environment, they continue to work tirelessly without any interruption. Their main concern is maintaining communication with family members who may be concerned after seeing unofficial media reports on the situation in Korea.

Q: In the case of a war situation, what locations and cities would be in danger of attacks, will the industrial zones where Sri Lankans work be possible targets? Will the mission be relocated if there is such an eventuality?

A: The situation in North Korean is a crucial issue for security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the assessment from the officials of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs with whom the Mission continues to have interaction about the safety of Sri Lankans, there is no threat of a military attack from North Korea. In the situation of a fully fledged war, the whole peninsula will be affected, particularly key economic hubs such as airport and ports.

In any unexpected emergency situation, the Korean Government will issue a Civil Defence Drill Warning which is a preliminary warning to the public to be alert of an emergency situation. Additionally, the Korean Government has set up special civil defence centres to be operated in any emergency situation in identified locations in the country.

Similarly, through its own network, the Embassy is ready to take action to implement its contingency plan for the safety of Sri Lankans in case of an emergency. Welfare centres, evacuation exit points, liaisons officers have already been identified. In case of communication failures, satellite phones and special radio frequencies will be used.

The Embassy will operate as the information centre and coordinate all measures for the safety of its own nationals.

Q: What is the breakdown of Sri Lankans living in South Korea (workers under the employment scheme, migrants, and students) and what are the main cities that they are concentrated in?

A: There are over 25,000 Sri Lankan migrant workers and around 150 university students living in South Korea. If any limited military clash occurs near the North borders, about 10 percent of Sri Lankans would be affected. Around 90 percent of Sri Lankans are employed in the southern region of Korea and they would likely remain safe. Any evacuation for the majority of Sri Lankans would arise only if a full scale war breaks out.

Most of the Sri Lankans living in or close to the following main cities: Gyeonggi-do, gyeonsangnam-do, gyeonsangbuk-do, Gwangju, Busan, Ansong, Daegu, Ulsan, Incheon, Chungcheongnamdo, Chungcheongbukdo.

Q: Have you set up a hot-line for Lankans to contact the mission in an emergency and what sort of links you have with the Foreign Employment Bureau?

A: In our contingency plan, we have included all the contact details including the hotline of the relevant official of this Mission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, the emergency contact numbers/hotline of the Korean Emergency Centre for Foreigners and also the Ministry of Justice under which the Korean Immigration Service operates.

Q: Is there anything else that you can say about the security of Sri Lankans in South Korea?

A: The Embassy has so far issued two press releases to Sri Lankans in this country requesting them to remain calm and be alert about any emergency situation. We have provided information to them through the embassy website, face book, email and also through community leaders in various cities in South Korea. Through April and May, Ambassador and Embassy officials will visit many distant cites in Korea to attend New Year celebrations and sports festivals during which more information about the safety of Sri Lankan will be discussed.