"Iran Korean Community Safety and Economic Monitoring" Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister, Emergency Report to the National Assembly

Minister Kyung Kyung-hwa and Minister Kim Yeon-cheol also attend the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee plenary meeting... Explanation on Middle East situation and current measures
Minister Kang Kyung-hwa: "Closely monitoring developments to prepare for sudden changes"

Economic Deputy Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki and Kim Sang-jo, Chief of the Presidential Office for Policy, are leaving the office of Representative Lee Hae-chan after reporting on the economic situation related to the Iran issue at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Kim Sang-jo, Chief of the Presidential Office Policy Office, visited the National Assembly on the morning of the 9th to urgently report to the leaders of each party in the ruling and opposition about South Korea's economic response measures to the 'Iran situation.' Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-chul also attended the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held afterward to explain the Middle East situation, current measures, and response plans.

Deputy Prime Minister Hong said, "We view the Iran situation seriously," adding, "We are closely monitoring trends regarding the safety of Korean nationals and the impact on our economy, and we are thoroughly preparing countermeasures." Chief Kim also explained, "Including the Blue House, the government has established a constant monitoring and response system for the economic, diplomatic, and security sectors."

Related ministries, including the Blue House, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of National Defense, have been holding related meetings daily and are examining various aspects such as protection measures for overseas nationals and the impact on the economy in preparation for the worst-case scenario. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main ministry in charge, has issued a crisis alert related to the protection of overseas nationals at the 'caution' level. Additionally, it has raised travel warnings for some areas in Iran and is preparing for the worst-case scenario by managing local safety measures through the Overseas Korean Consular Office.

Minister Kang, through an emergency video conference held the previous afternoon with the ambassadors to Iran, Iraq, and Israel, received reports on the local situation, checked the response system between headquarters and diplomatic missions, and urged preparation for the worst-case scenario. Since the 5th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' task force, led by First Vice Minister Cho Se-young, has held two meetings to review step-by-step action plans according to the situation. The task force includes the Economic Diplomacy Coordinator, Director of the North American Affairs Bureau, Director of the Africa and Middle East Bureau, and Director of Overseas Safety Management Planning, who promptly report the meeting results to the minister.

In the Middle East, Lee Sang-jin, head of the Overseas Korean Consular Office, is managing safety measures for overseas nationals. On this day, he plans to hold a consular meeting responsible for incidents and accidents in the Middle East region to discuss ways to strengthen protection for overseas nationals in the Middle East. The number of Koreans residing in the region is approximately 1,570 in Iraq, 290 in Iran, 700 in Israel, a U.S. ally, and about 150 in Lebanon, where the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah is active.

Going forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will maintain a 24-hour emergency response system until the situation stabilizes and will activate the Overseas Nationals Countermeasures Headquarters and the Overseas Terrorism Incident Countermeasures Headquarters in case of a crisis. If full-scale response is necessary, rapid response teams will be dispatched. Minister Kang stated in her report to the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, "As a result of checking safety through safety officers, as of 1 p.m. on the 8th, there have been no casualties among our nationals," adding, "It is not yet a stage to consider evacuation, but we will closely monitor developments in preparation for sudden changes and prepare for the possibility of evacuation."

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