The foreign ministry raised its travel alert for Myanmar and decided to form a team dedicated to protecting South Korean citizens in the Southeast Asian country, officials said Saturday.
The decision came amid the bloody crackdown by Myanmar’s military junta on anti-coup protesters that has reportedly resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The ministry raised the travel alert level to the second-highest one in a four-tier system, which recommends citizens withdraw from the country.
“We call on our citizens to cancel or postpone their plans to travel to Myanmar, and on those who are in Myanmar to withdraw from the country if they are there not on emergency matters,” the ministry said in a press release.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-Yong will oversee the team dealing with the turmoil in Myanmar. It consists of Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon as its deputy chief and other officials in charge of overseas consular affairs, the ministry said.
The ministry added that it would further strengthen efforts to protect citizens while paying close attention to the situation in Myanmar. (Yonhap)
