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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / SOUTH KOREAN PEACEKEEPERS
TRT: 03:44
SOURCE : UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS : NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / KOREAN / NATS
DATELINE: JULY / 18 - 21 NOVEMBER 2024, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
18 NOVEMBER 2024, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, HANBIT contingent in Bor
21 NOVEMBER 2024, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
2. Various shots of HANBIT on construction sites (MSR)
3. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Colonel Byunh Guk Kwon, Commander, South Korean Engineering Contingent (HANBIT):
“In Pibor, ROKHMEC (South Korean Horizontal Military Engineering Contingent) established an embankment along the Pibor River, as well as an operation for the improvement of the Pibor airport. We are confident that we are the HMEC that executes significant operations that benefit the people of South Sudan and under the huge responsibility of the Republic of South Korea.”
19 NOVEMBER 2024, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
4. Various shots, Force Commander honoring HANBIT with medals
5. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Yang Yoon Yeong, Peacekeeping Medic, South Korea:
“There are very few female officers in this compound. I’m working as a soldier, not just a female officer, so everybody treats me as a soldier, and I treat everyone else as a soldier. So, gender didn’t really matter in this situation, and I didn’t feel any disadvantage or inequality and didn’t face any challenges relating to gender.”
JULY 2023, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Various shots, HANBIT and University officials harvesting rice
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“In this forum, formally, let me complement and congratulate your commanding officer, Colonel Byunh Guk Kwon, for a proactive spirit, a very enthusiastic approach, a desire to do something here and leave your footprint and to be remembered as the best contingent ever.”
19 NOVEMBER 2024, BOR, SOUTH SUDAN
8. Various shots, Force Commander honoring HANBIT with medals
South Korean peacekeeper engineers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan are helping to rebuild and repair critical infrastructure, including the 183-kilometer main supply route from Bor to Pibor and 124-kilometer road between Pibor and Akobo.
These efforts help families sustain themselves, support economic growth, enables protection of civilians, and helps restore peace between feuding communities.
During the intense rainy season, many roads in Jonglei, South Sudan, are washed out or so water-logged that travel becomes impossible, devastating people’s ability to access basic services, like food, water and healthcare, to trade, and hold vital peace talks to prevent intercommunal violence.
SOUNDBITE (Korean) Colonel Byunh Guk Kwon, Commander, South Korean Engineering Contingent (HANBIT):
“In Pibor, ROKHMEC (South Korean Horizontal Military Engineering Contingent) established an embankment along the Pibor River, as well as an operation for the improvement of the Pibor airport. We are confident that we are the HMEC that executes significant operations that benefit the people of South Sudan and under the huge responsibility of the Republic of South Korea.”
Among the 268 peacekeepers from the Republic of South Korea who received the prestigious United Nations Medal of Honor for their service was Yang Yoon Yeong, a medic and soldier. Rather being recognized as one of only a few women peacekeepers serving in the region, she wants to be remembered for simply doing her duty.
SOUNDBITE (Korean) Yang Yoon Yeong, Peacekeeping Medic, South Korea:
“There are very few female officers in this compound. I’m working as a soldier, not just a female officer, so everybody treats me as a soldier, and I treat everyone else as a soldier. So, gender didn’t really matter in this situation, and I didn’t feel any disadvantage or inequality and didn’t face any challenges relating to gender.”
Outside of their official duties, the peacekeepers have strengthened relationships with local communities and built their capacity, providing medical support, veterinary treatment, and training youth as teachers, carpenters, electricians, welders and builders, at a dedicated vocational facility.
Another major initiative was the launch of a pilot rice cultivation project in collaboration with a university, which has produced 20 tons of rice this season alone, and will have a much longer-term impact on food security through research into strains that are pest resistant and suitable for South Sudan’s volatile climatic conditions.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“In this forum, formally, let me complement and congratulate your commanding officer, Colonel Byunh Guk Kwon, for a proactive spirit, a very enthusiastic approach, a desire to do something here and leave your footprint and to be remembered as the best contingent ever.”
Thanking the contingent for its contribution, the UNMISS Force Commander noted that they have lived up to the symbolism of their flag which inspires these peacekeepers to be lights that lead the way to peace across the world.
