Yoon orders safety measures for Koreans in Israel as conflict escalates

A Korean Air passenger jet carrying 191 nationals is set to return home from Israel on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed later Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the flight information board at Incheon International Airport shows a Korean Air flight to Tel Aviv departing the next day. The first Korean nationals to return since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted are expected to arrive on a passenger flight Wednesday morning. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the government Tuesday to thoroughly prepare safety measures for Korean residents and travelers in Israel amid concerns over the escalating conflict between the country and the Hamas militant group.

"As the Israel-Palestine situation is heading toward a full-scale war, I ask the relevant ministries, with the Foreign Ministry taking the lead, to thoroughly prepare safety measures for Korean residents and travelers," Yoon said in a cabinet meeting.

A Korean Air passenger jet carrying 191 nationals is set to return home from Israel on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed later Tuesday.

This will be the first flight to transport Koreans back home since the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel Saturday, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war.

According to the Foreign Ministry, an estimated 570 Koreans live in Israel, and another 480 are traveling there. Most are in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The Korean passengers were set to leave Tel Aviv on 218-seat Korean Air flight KE958, which had been stationed in Dubai, at around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday local time. They are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday at around 6:10 a.m.

Another 27 people will travel by land to the neighboring country of Jordan, while some 30 others are expected to return home Thursday on a Turkish Airlines flight, the ministry said.

The ministry initially reported that 360 Korean travelers were in the country, based on a list of passengers who flew to Israel by Korean Air, but later confirmed that some 120 other tourists had flown into the country aboard foreign carriers.

This came after Korean Air, the country's leading air carrier, canceled its flights from Incheon to Tel Aviv on Monday amid safety concerns.

On Sunday, the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory on Israel advising all Korean nationals in the country, including tourists, to leave through to a third country as soon as possible.

No Koreans have been reported injured or killed in Israel, according to the ministry.

The Foreign Ministry said it will also be guiding the remaining travelers in the country to help with their departure by air or land.

For long-term Korean residents wishing to remain in the country, safety measures are being prepared with local Korean associations and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) operating an emergency contact network.

The Israel-Hamas war has left over 1,500 dead as of Tuesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks on the Israel-Hamas conflict during a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

"As Iran and Hezbollah support Hamas, and the United States, Britain, France and Germany support Israel's right to self-defense, the possibility that this situation may escalate into an international conflict cannot be ruled out," Yoon said during Tuesday's cabinet meeting.

Yoon noted that the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East could increase economic instability, noting the Korean economy's high external dependence.

"Armed conflicts and wars in the Middle East have led to a rise in international oil prices, and increased inflation has added to the price burden on our people," Yoon said. "As the Ukraine war and the Middle East crises overlap, external economic instability may increase."

He instructed the government to "remain alert, respond closely to external factors of instability and do its best to prevent further difficulties in people's livelihoods."

He called on relevant ministries, led by the economy minister, to "monitor domestic and international economic and financial situations in real-time and make every effort to manage risks of economic instability."

Yoon further ruled out "optimistic" thinking regarding the Israel-Palestine situation and asked the government "not to let down its guard and make every effort to make preparations by closely monitoring the situation in terms of the people's economy and national security," the presidential office said in a statement later.

During a parliamentary audit, Foreign Minister Park Jin told the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee that no casualties have been reported among Korean nationals, nor has there been any reported damage to its embassy in Israel amid the ongoing conflict.

"Our diplomatic mission in the region is maintaining round-the-clock emergency contact with our nationals and checking their safety," Lim Soo-suk, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said in a press briefing.

He likewise confirmed that Korean nationals in the Gaza Strip in Palestine are in a safe location.

A Foreign Ministry official told reporters Tuesday that "the Majority of Korean residents currently staying long-term are in safe areas," but again recommended that travelers visiting the area on pilgrimages "travel to a third country as soon as possible."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]