Ministry of Foreign Affairs Raises Travel Alert to 'Yellow' for Certain Areas in Iran... Issues 'Caution' Level Crisis Alert for Protection of Overseas Nationals

1st Vice Minister Presides Over Task Force Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 8th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a crisis alert related to the protection of overseas Koreans at the "Caution" level and raised the travel alert for certain areas in Iran.

With this adjustment of the travel alert, areas in Iran currently under Level 1 Blue Alert will be upgraded to Level 2 Yellow Alert, while regions where Level 3 Red Alert has already been issued?such as Sistan-Baluchestan Province, the Turkey-Iraq border area, and three provinces along the Persian Gulf coast?will maintain the current Level 3 Red Alert.

On the same day, a task force meeting was held, which began operating on the 5th. The task force is composed of the First Vice Minister (task force leader), Economic Diplomacy Coordinator (deputy leader), Director of the Middle East and Africa Bureau, Director of the North America Bureau, Overseas Safety Management Planning Officer, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Diplomacy Planning Officer, Director of the Bilateral Economic Bureau, and Deputy Spokesperson.

The task force assessed the situation amid rising tensions in the Middle East, reviewed measures for protecting overseas Koreans, preventing damage to industries, and response plans for various future scenarios, and reported the results to Minister Kang Kyung-wha. In response, Minister Kang urged, "As tensions in the Middle East are significantly escalating, please operate a 24-hour response system without gaps to ensure the safety of our citizens and companies, and respond swiftly in case of emergencies."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is maintaining a 24-hour emergency response system centered on the Middle East Situation Task Force and the Overseas Safety Protection Center, in close cooperation with overseas diplomatic missions and relevant government agencies. A Ministry official explained, "While maintaining close communication with major countries such as the United States, we plan to make efforts to ensure the safety of our citizens and companies through thorough analysis of the Middle East situation and cooperation with relevant ministries and overseas missions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.