"We heard bombs even while we slept... Grateful to be citizens of South Korea" Koreans evacuated from Iran return safely

[Financial News] "I’m just glad we arrived safely. I’m grateful to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea (South Korea)."These were the words of 35-year-old Kim Na-hyun, who worked at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Kim, along with other embassy staff and South Korean nationals who had been staying in Iran, left the country as it entered a phase of full-scale confrontation with the United States and the State of Israel, and returned home via Incheon International Airport at around 6:08 p.m. on the 5th.
They left Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the early hours of the 3rd. After more than 20 hours on the road, they finally reached Turkmenistan on the evening of the previous day. Except for two brief 10-minute bathroom breaks a day, they spent the entire time on the bus, in what they described as an arduous march.

After managing to evacuate to Turkmenistan, Kim and the others again boarded an embassy-chartered bus to the airport in the capital, Ashgabat. From there, they flew via Istanbul Airport in the Republic of Türkiye before arriving in South Korea. "Given the tense situation, I had expected something like this might happen at some point," Kim told Yonhap News Agency, "but when it actually did, I was flustered and it was mentally shocking."
Recalling the situation, Kim said, "We could hear the sound of bombs even while we were sleeping. Explosions were audible near the embassy, which made us feel psychologically unstable," adding, "We saw bombs going off within sight. I’m relieved that we made it back safely. The embassy staff went through so much, and I’m truly grateful to be a citizen of South Korea."
Lee Do-hee, head coach of the Iran women's national volleyball team, also expressed gratitude, saying, "The Government of South Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded extremely quickly. They escorted us all the way to the border and took responsibility for us until the end, so we were able to travel without feeling unsafe." She went on, "When a bombardment hit near the embassy, there was an enormous explosion. For a moment I wondered if I was going to die," adding, "Everyone staying at the embassy was on edge, and we all took shelter in the underground area of the embassy."

On the same return flight were about ten expatriate employees from major South Korean companies who had been stationed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Iran has been striking back by launching missile and drone attacks on U.S. military facilities, airports, hotels and apartment complexes in neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Park Eun-gyu, 56, who works as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia, said they had to evacuate by land because airspace over parts of the Middle East was closed. "We left on the night of the 2nd and waited in Riyadh, the capital," he recounted. "But then there was suddenly a drone attack targeting the United States embassy, and our flight was canceled. In the end we had to stay in Riyadh for a day, but fortunately flights resumed the next day and we were able to leave," he said with relief.
bng@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Hee-sun Reporter