The government has deployed a military transport aircraft to bring home Koreans staying in the Middle East. It is the first time a military transport has been used to evacuate Koreans stranded in the region since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on the 28th of last month.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense on the 15th, one KC-330 Cygnus multi-role aerial refueling transport departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the evening of the 14th (local time). The military transport carried 204 Koreans. It also included five foreign-national family members of Koreans and two Japanese, bringing the total on board to 211. The transport is scheduled to arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 15th.

The name of this evacuation operation is ‘Desert Light’. The government said, “It reflects the resolve of the government to shine a light for and protect our nationals in the Middle East.” The KC-330 Cygnus plays the role of a so-called ‘gas station in the sky’ that refuels other aircraft in flight and can also perform missions transporting people and materiel.

The government stated that it first reviewed operating a chartered flight, but when that proved difficult, it decided to deploy a military transport. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Riyadh was judged to be the most suitable location to ensure the safety of our nationals, and Riyadh has become a major assembly point for citizens returning home,” adding, “In view of the limited availability of flights, a military transport was deemed the appropriate option for a swift evacuation.” The government is known to have secured prior cooperation to allow the transport to transit the airspace of around a dozen neighboring countries.

The government had previously surveyed demand for seats on the military transport. Koreans staying in nearby Kuwait, Bahrain, and Lebanon were also included among those eligible to board. The plan prioritized boarding for critical patients, people with severe disabilities, pregnant women, the elderly, and infants and toddlers. A six-member interagency rapid response team led by former Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lee Jae-woong provided on-site support for Koreans returning home.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense said, “This was carried out on an unprecedented scale and scope, gathering our nationals who had been staying separately in four countries to a single location at once and putting them on the transport,” adding, “Across the entire government, it was actively pursued as a ‘one team’ effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Air Force, as well as the Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Embassy in Bahrain, the Embassy in Kuwait, the Embassy in Lebanon, and even the National Police Agency, which participated in the interagency rapid response team.” The government added, “We will continue to closely monitor local conditions and devise a range of safety measures to ensure the safety of our nationals still in the Middle East and to support their return home.”

On the 9th, a chartered flight carrying 206 people, including 203 Koreans and 3 foreign spouses, arrived at Incheon International Airport. It was the first charter flight deployed by the government since the Middle East crisis.

There have been previous cases of deploying military transports to repatriate Koreans overseas. In October 2024, after Israel attacked the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah, the government deployed a military transport to bring 96 Koreans who had been staying in Lebanon back to the country.