More than 200 Korean nationals stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict returned home Monday aboard a chartered flight. The Etihad Airways plane carried 203 Koreans and three foreign family members, arriving at Incheon International Airport after departing Abu Dhabi. This marked the first such flight organized by Seoul to evacuate citizens from the UAE.
The Etihad Airways chartered flight departed Abu Dhabi in the early morning and arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, after about an eight-hour journey on Monday. It carried 203 Korean nationals stranded due to disrupted air traffic in the Middle East from the U.S.-Iran conflict, along with three family members of other nationalities. The foreign ministry estimates that around 1,400 Korean short-term travelers remain in the UAE, expecting them to return gradually as commercial flights resume.
At the airport, families reunited with embraces, including a 4-year-old boy shouting "Daddy" as he ran to his father. Kim Bora, who returned with her son, said she booked the flight after contacting the foreign ministry the previous day. "While evacuations have become routine, air raid sirens are still frightening," said Kim, a Dubai resident.
Lee Sang-beom, a 24-year-old, expressed relief, stating, "The war broke out around the day I was set to go home, so it became difficult to return, but I think I was able to return relatively comfortably." He added, "I understand there are still a lot of Koreans there, and I hope they all return safely with more of such opportunities."
The foreign ministry has dispatched a joint rapid response team to the UAE to assist evacuation operations amid the widening conflict. This effort is part of Seoul's push to bring home citizens from the region. Separately, a special flight carrying around 300 South Koreans departed Doha, Qatar, on Monday afternoon for Incheon.
