Vice Minister Kim Jin-a of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "With clashes between the United States and Iran continuing for more than a week, tensions are rising," and asked local missions to advise short-term residents to depart as soon as possible unless they have urgent business.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vice Minister stated accordingly at a joint headquarters–missions situation review meeting on the 19th. Seventeen missions in the Middle East, including the Embassy to Iran and the Embassy to Israel, attended the meeting.
The Vice Minister said, "Even civilian facilities in the region are being attacked, and with many casualties, there are concerns for the safety of nationals staying there." The Vice Minister then emphasized to the missions, "Update emergency contact networks and frequently disseminate safety notices, and in the case of short-term residents, considering that since March most Middle Eastern countries have been under a Level 3 travel advisory (advised to depart), advise them to leave promptly unless they have urgent business."
The Vice Minister also asked people to pay particular attention to the possibility that cancellations of flights destined for or transiting the Middle East, or closures of regional airspace, could disrupt travel.
The Vice Minister added that, in addition to the safety of two Korean vessels and their crews remaining in the Strait of Hormuz, given heightened concerns over a possible closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait due to recent military tensions between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, particular attention should be paid to the safety of Korean vessels transiting the Red Sea.