Special travel advisory issued for seven Middle Eastern countries: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Published: 02 Mar. 2026, 19:39
![Notices on canceled flights to Abu Dhabi are displayed on an electronic board at a departing gate inside Incheon International Airport on March 2. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/02/194476a6-6334-479c-888c-492611d06c09.jpg)
Notices on canceled flights to Abu Dhabi are displayed on an electronic board at a departing gate inside Incheon International Airport on March 2. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a temporary special travel advisory for seven Middle Eastern countries effective immediately from 6 p.m. Monday, citing escalating tensions following United States and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
The advisory will apply to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Under the measure, all areas in those countries currently designated as level 1, a travel advisory, and level 2, travel restraint, will be raised to a special travel advisory, or level 2.5. Areas already under level 3, a recommendation to leave, will remain unchanged.
A special travel advisory is issued when urgent and short-term risks arise. The designation carries recommended precautions equivalent to those under travel alert levels 2 and 3.
“We urge citizens planning to visit these areas to cancel or postpone their visits, and citizens currently in these areas to move to a safer location,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The ministry will closely monitor developments in the Middle East and continue to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our nationals.”
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.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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