South Korean troops of the Hanbit Unit are heading to South Sudan after a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo on Monday during briefing said following talks with the United Nations and South Sudan, the rotation has been finalized and the first group of the unit’s 12th contingent will depart later in the day.
He disclosed to KBS World Radio that the second group is scheduled to leave on June 1.
According to the spokesperson, the Hanbit Unit is the only peacekeeping troop able to rotate during May.
Hyun-soo explained that ‘all departing members underwent virus tests twice and all tested negative. They were also quarantined for over five weeks and received training on contingency measures’.
The plane carrying the troops to South Sudan will make a stopover in Ethiopia on its way back to bring home South Korean citizens stranded due to covid-19 lockdowns.
The deployment was scheduled for Ma