Cambodia tops Korea's travel advisory list by country for five years straight
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued or raised advisories for Cambodia seven times from 2021 to this year — the most for any country. Six of these advisories came last year.
Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party, who obtained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ travel advisory data, speaks at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Education Committee in western Seoul after joining the committee on March 24.YONHAP
The Korean government has issued or raised travel advisories for Cambodia more than it has for any other country over the past five years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued or raised advisories for Cambodia seven times from 2021 to this year — the most for any country. Mexico, Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Thailand followed with five each.
The data, which excludes downgrades, came from the Ministry of Data and Statistics and was submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
Six of Cambodia’s seven advisories — three over instability along its border with Thailand, and three over crimes in Bavet, Bokor Mountain and Phnom Penh — came last year. In October 2025, Korea’s Foreign Ministry banned travel to Bavet, Bokor and Poipet after the number of cases involving Koreans who were lured to and then detained at scam compounds surged.
Korea’s travel advisory system runs from Level 1, “precautious,” to Level 2, cautious; Level 3, travel restricted, with those already in the affected country advised to leave; and Level 4, travel banned. The government issues special travel advisories — treated as a level between Level 2 and Level 3 — for short-term, urgent risks.
When counting advisories that were kept in place or extended, Russia topped the list with 18, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 15 and El Salvador with 11.
No new advisory has been issued for Europe, where large protests have spread in recent weeks. Demonstrations over living costs and public services swept France, Belgium, Italy and Portugal on Oct. 17. In France alone, police have estimated nearly 200,000 protesters.
France, where protests against the government have grown violent, has remained at Level 1 since November 2022, when the Foreign Ministry lowered it from Level 2, imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A bicycle is engulfed in flames after riots erupted in Paris on Oct. 17.UPI/YONHAP
“We are not considering raising the advisory at this point, given that the protests are limited to some areas and that an advisory upgrade could affect business activities,” the ministry told Kim’s office in a summary of its position.
Instead, the Korean Embassy in France has been sending safety notices to Koreans visiting the country by text message and other channels since late September.
“The Foreign Ministry should keep monitoring […] conditions overseas and promptly announce specific danger zones and safety guidelines so that the public can travel and stay abroad safely,” Kim said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
