All S. Koreans in Haiti confirmed safe

(ATTN: ADDS telephone interview with Korean officer in Haiti from para 5; TRIMS)
By Byun Duk-keun, Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- All South Korean residents and travelers in Haiti are
safe, Seoul's foreign ministry confirmed Thursday, a day after the Caribbean
country was hit by a 7.0 earthquake that may leave as many as 100,000 dead.
A 50-something-year-old South Korean businessman, who had been reported missing
until earlier in the day, has been found safe by a disaster assistance team
dispatched from Seoul, the ministry said, confirming safety of all Korean
nationals in the region.
"Some 70 of our people, who had been residing in Haiti at the time of the
earthquake, have been confirmed safe," Kim Young-sun, spokesperson for the
foreign ministry said.
Many of the South Koreans were already heading to nearby states like the
Dominican Republic or Panama, and a group of five Seoul diplomats and volunteer
workers were en route to Haiti to aid the evacuation process, according to the
ministry.
Maj. Lee Sun-hee, dispatched to the region as part of the U.N. peacekeeping
forces, also confirmed all South Koreans are "safe and relatively healthy" in her
first interview with local media after the earthquake and two aftershocks of
magnitudes 5.9 and 5.0.
"We (Koreans) are all relatively in good heath," the 43-year-old major said in a
telephone interview. "The situation here is grim though. It resembles a place
stricken by war or riot."
"The worst-hit regions are not even approachable," Lee added. "I even saw ...
injured people neglected on the roads the first day."
About 20 aftershocks have hit the country since the Wednesday quake, leaving
people very scared and confused, she continued.
"We feel blocked off. Satellite telephone is our only means of contact with the
outside world," said Lee, adding people in Haiti are in "desperate need for food
and drinking water."
bdk@yna.co.kr
hayney@yna.co.kr
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