As the situation in the Middle East shifts rapidly following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, police said they are preparing to respond if there is a request to dispatch personnel to protect overseas nationals.
A police official said at a press briefing on the 3rd, "We are internally preparing in case there is a dispatch request from related ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Middle East situation." However, specific dispatch schedules have not been decided yet.
To enable a swift response to emergencies overseas, police operate a "rapid response team for the protection of overseas nationals" talent pool. The rapid response team consists of seven fields and 156 members.
At a Cabinet meeting on the same day, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said regarding the worsening situation in the Middle East, "While continuously checking on the safety of Korean residents in Iran and Israel, we will activate the rapid response team and do our utmost to provide active consular assistance to ensure the safety of our nationals staying in other countries in the region."