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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Dec. 30, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This AFP photo shows a fire at a military complex in Venezuela after a series of explosions in Caracas following a U.S. strike against the Venezuelan capital on Jan. 3, 2026. (Yonhap) |
Lee-Venezuela
Lee orders protection of S. Korean nat'ls in Venezuela, preparation of evacuation plans if necessary: Cheong Wa Dae
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials Saturday to ensure the protection of South Korean nationals in Venezuela and to prepare evacuation plans if necessary, his office said.
Lee's instruction came on the heels of a U.S. military strike against the South American country, confirmed by U.S. President Donald Trump, amid his administration's pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
"President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to ensure the thorough protection of South Korean nationals in Venezuela and to meticulously prepare evacuation plans so they can be swiftly carried out if necessary," a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson said in a message to media.
Trump announced the United States has carried out a large-scale military strike against Venezuela and captured Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S.
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