"Still Calm Amid Confusion"... Iranians Evacuate Overland

"Compared to the time during the Iraq War in 2003, when terrorist groups attacked foreign residential compounds and soldiers and armored vehicles were deployed to international schools and Riyadh Korean Elementary School, the situation is still relatively calm."

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

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Speaking with The Asia Business Daily on March 4, Park Jungwoo, a man in his 60s living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said this. As tensions rise in the Middle East due to military clashes between the United States and Iran, Korean nationals are maintaining their daily routines calmly despite the chaos. Park said, "According to an acquaintance living in Dammam (in eastern Saudi Arabia), the attack on the US military base in Bahrain was not visible from Dammam," and added, "I don't think Iran will easily provoke Saudi Arabia."

Kim Hyoseok, President of the Korean Association in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, commented on the local atmosphere, saying, "People living in Riyadh actually feel calm, to the point where they wonder if anything is really happening." However, he also noted, "Although there have been no emergency situations such as sirens going off yet, there are concerns about areas closer to Bahrain, such as Dammam and Jubail in the east."

Local embassies are sending safety notification text messages to Korean nationals, urging them to exercise special caution. According to an embassy notice provided by Son Suknyeo, a Korean resident in Riyadh, in the event of missile or drone attacks, people are advised to move to underground parking lots or interior rooms without windows while indoors to avoid falling debris, and if driving, to pull over immediately and move into a building.

Regarding the situation in Amman, Jordan, which was hit by Iranian airstrikes, Haya Moussa (32) said, "Iran also launched missiles at Jordan, which is terrifying," and added, "My family, friends, and I are all safe, but if the situation worsens, I may have to consider whether to go to my relatives' house in Saudi Arabia, or whether my relatives in Saudi Arabia should move to Jordan."

The families of Korean nationals in Korea are also expressing concern. Kwon (33), who lives in Seoul, said, "My father is scheduled to return from Riyadh, and fortunately, his flight is routed through Hong Kong rather than Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)." However, he added, "I am worried that if the war spreads to Saudi Arabia or other countries, even this route might close."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the evening of March 3, a group of 24 people-including Korean nationals and the families of embassy staff who had been staying in Iran-safely evacuated to Turkmenistan with the assistance of the Embassy of Korea in Iran and the Rapid Response Team dispatched locally. They are currently traveling 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 the same day.

In Israel, 66 people, including Korean nationals, also safely evacuated to Egypt on the night of the same day. During the journey, 47 short-term travelers, including group tourists, joined them at the border. They departed from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in buses rented by the embassy and arrived safely at the Israel-Egypt border checkpoint that evening, completing entry procedures. In Bahrain, on the afternoon of March 2, two people traveled to Saudi Arabia using a bus rented by the Embassy of Korea in Bahrain. On the same afternoon in Iraq, two people, accompanied by a consular officer from the embassy, also safely arrived in T?rkiye.

Meanwhile, Kang Hoon-sik, policy chief at the Presidential Office, said at the senior secretary meeting on March 3, "Prioritize the safety of Korean nationals and visitors staying in the Middle East, and provide close support through local embassies to ensure that citizens isolated by flight restrictions can return home as soon as possible."

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