More drivers filling up gas amid deepening Middle East crisis

Gas prices are on display at a gas station in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Mar 5, 2026 7:00 AM KST

Lee Soo-jin, an office worker in her 40s, said she didn’t want to wait until the weekend to fill her vehicle up with gas.

“I was going to wait until Sunday, but after watching the news, it feels inevitable that prices will jump. My friend filled up at around low 1,600 won ($1.08) per liter. Now it’s well over 1,800 won. I wish I’d come earlier, but at least I made it today.”

She initially thought the U.S.-Israel war on Iran would soon come to an end, but realized she was wrong. “Many said on the news Sunday that the benchmark KOSPI would not undergo a sharp correction, but the index fell rapidly for two straight days. Everything is changing so fast, and new things keep happening. At this point, I think not acting will cost me money. I will save what I can instead of waiting around.”

Similarly, Han Sung-hwa, a woman in her 50s, said the gas prices are likely to go up in the coming days.

“When I first heard the news, I thought gas prices would go up. But it was Sunday, so I stayed home. Now the news says many people are rushing to fill up the gas before the prices go up further. I rushed over, since it feels like now is the cheapest it’s going to get.”

Gas station owners say an increasing number of customers are coming in after news broke about joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran.

“Even during lunch hour, cars keep lining up,” said Kim Myung-joon, a gas station operator in Seoul. “Since the Middle East news, we’ve definitely seen more customers. Many are opting to fill their tanks even as they have some gas left. It may not be a lot of money, but it sure is something that can be saved.”

These are among many drivers and gas station owners in Korea, where expectations are mounting that the conflict in the Middle East would push up gas prices further.

It typically takes days to several weeks for domestic gas prices to reflect international oil price movements, but anxiety over further increases is accelerating demand.

According to the state-run Korea National Oil Corp.’s Opinet system, the average gasoline price in Seoul came to 1,836 won per liter on Wednesday, up from 1,771.98 won per liter on Tuesday. Sunday's figure was 1,752 won.

The nationwide figure stood at 1,766 won on Wednesday, higher than Sunday's nationwide figure of 1,696 won.