Gov't considers chartered, military planes to bring home Koreans in Middle East
Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 09:12
-
- YOON SO-YEON
- [email protected]
![Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina speaks during a press briefing on government responses to the Middle East conflict following a related interagency meeting at the government complex in Seoul on March 4. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/05/e3aa9b79-63d9-432f-b1c0-4157d9732676.jpg)
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina speaks during a press briefing on government responses to the Middle East conflict following a related interagency meeting at the government complex in Seoul on March 4. [YONHAP]
Korea is considering sending chartered planes or military aircraft to bring back its nationals stranded in the Middle East due to the conflict between the United States and Iran, a senior government official said Wednesday.
Sending planes and additional pan-government rapid response teams to the region are among the many options the government is weighing to support their return home, Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina said in a press briefing following an interagency meeting on government responses to the Middle East situation.
"The government is considering deploying chartered planes and military transport aircraft, as well as dispatching additional joint rapid response teams," Kim said.
"We continue to assess the situation regarding South Korean nationals stranded in the United Arab Emirates and other countries, while reviewing various measures in coordination with relevant ministries to ensure they can return home swiftly and safely," she said.
On Monday, Kim said about 17,000 South Korean nationals remain in about 10 Middle Eastern countries affected by the conflict, a figure that does not include short-term travelers.
Kim said the government is bracing for the possibility that the situation could drag on and escalate further, promising to ensure their safety as a top priority. On Tuesday, around 140 South Koreans and their foreign family members were evacuated from Iran, Israel and Bahrain and relocated to neighboring countries to seek shelter.
"We will make every effort and mobilize all available resources and assets of the foreign ministry to ensure that no South Korean nationals are harmed amid the situation in the Middle East," she said.
![Yoon Chu-sok, director general for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, holds a meeting with embassy officials in the Middle East on March 4. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/05/417001c8-0ffb-4d29-a2ea-2ff9f4085c3a.jpg)
Yoon Chu-sok, director general for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, holds a meeting with embassy officials in the Middle East on March 4. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who presided over the meeting, called for drawing up detailed action plans to best respond to potential fallout from the Middle East conflict, saying the impact from the situation is taking shape. Kim stressed the need to ensure the safety of South Korean citizens in the Middle East and called for close monitoring of stock and currency markets. He also instructed officials to proactively address any difficulties faced by South Korean companies.
The Foreign Ministry also held a meeting with embassy officials in the Middle East later in the day to discuss ways to bring home Koreans, particularly short-term travelers, from the region.
Yoon Chu-sok, director general for overseas Koreans and consular affairs, called for efforts to ensure their safety, including securing channels that will enable their swift departure amid commercial flight disruptions, the ministry said. Embassy officials in 14 countries, including Iran, Israel, Turkmenistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Dubai, attended the meeting.
Koreans stranded in parts of the Middle East have been reportedly huddling to form their own “escape teams” on social media and traveling by bus or taxi to neighboring countries as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran raise fears of a wider war.
![Iranians who crossed into Turkey by land from Iran are seen on March 3. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/05/e9f9ce0f-528e-4bb9-98f9-6ac884d13ef4.jpg)
Iranians who crossed into Turkey by land from Iran are seen on March 3. [YONHAP]
Travelers are turning to online chat rooms run by YouTubers and seeking help from travel agencies to arrange overland routes as limited commercial flights leave limited options to leave the region.
Some 21,000 Koreans reside in the Middle East — around 17,000 long-term residents and 4,000 for travel purposes or a layover — according to the government.
BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)