On the 4th, Vice Minister Kim Jin-a of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government is considering deploying chartered planes and military transport aircraft and sending an additional joint rapid response team to help bring home Korean nationals stranded in the Middle East due to the aftermath of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
At a joint briefing after a meeting of relevant ministries to review the Middle East situation, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok the same day, the vice minister said, "While continuously identifying the status of our nationals stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and elsewhere, we are reviewing various measures, in coordination with the relevant ministries, to ensure they can return to Korea safely and quickly."
The government is also discussing ways to provide necessary consular assistance to Korean nationals staying across the Middle East and to move those wishing to evacuate safely to neighboring countries.
On the 3rd, 24 Koreans staying in Iran evacuated to Turkmenistan, and 66 Koreans staying in Israel evacuated to Egypt.
Earlier this week, two Koreans staying in Iraq and 10 Koreans staying in Bahrain also moved to Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, respectively, with help from local missions.
The vice minister said, "To prevent any of our nationals from suffering harm on the ground due to the Middle East situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will respond proactively by mobilizing all of its capabilities and assets."