Over 140 Korean Nationals Evacuate from Iran and Israel to Neighboring Countries Amid Middle East Tensions

As tensions rise in the Middle East due to airstrikes between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Korean nationals staying in Iran and Israel have evacuated to neighboring countries by land.

On the 3rd (local time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Rapid Response Team and officials from the Embassy of Korea in Iran are assisting in evacuating 24 Korean residents from Iran to Turkmenistan. Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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On March 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a group of 24 people, including Korean residents and the families of embassy staff who had been staying in Iran, safely evacuated to Turkmenistan that evening. The evacuation was carried out with the support of the Embassy of Korea in Iran and the Rapid Response Team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was dispatched to the site and led by Lim Sangwoo, Government Representative for the Protection of Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs. There were about 60 Korean residents in Iran, but following this evacuation, it is reported that approximately 40 people, including embassy staff, remain.

The Korean nationals were divided into two buses rented by the embassy and departed from Tehran at 5 a.m. local time the previous day, under the guidance of embassy staff. After spending a night at an intermediate stop, they crossed the border and completed immigration procedures into Turkmenistan that evening. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, another airstrike occurred in Tehran shortly after the group departed, and during their journey to Turkmenistan, thick fog made it difficult to travel quickly.

The evacuees are currently on their way to the capital city of Ashgabat using a bus rented by the Embassy of Korea in Turkmenistan and are scheduled to depart individually for Korea or a third country on March 4.

Following the evacuation in Iran, on the same night, 66 Korean nationals and others in Israel also evacuated safely to Egypt. Among them, 47 short-term visitors, including group tourists, joined at the border. The evacuees departed from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on buses rented by the embassy and arrived safely at the Israel-Egypt border checkpoint that evening, where they completed entry procedures. The Embassy of Korea in Egypt is scheduled to provide support for their journey from the Egyptian border to the capital, Cairo.

In Egypt, a Rapid Response Team led by Cho Minjun, Director of the Consular Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been dispatched to support the safe evacuation of Korean nationals. The Rapid Response Teams dispatched to Turkmenistan and Egypt stated that they are actively providing necessary consular assistance, including arranging local accommodations and guiding return flights, in cooperation with each embassy to ensure the evacuees experience no inconvenience.

Meanwhile, in Bahrain, two people traveled to Saudi Arabia the previous afternoon using a bus rented by the Embassy of Korea in Bahrain. On the same day in Iraq, two people safely arrived in T?rkiye in the afternoon, accompanied by a consular officer from the embassy.

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