Korea preparing to evacuate 36 nationals from Ukraine this week: FM

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong / AP-Yonhap

The government is preparing to evacuate 36 out of 64 nationals remaining in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said Friday.

"For the 36 of them who wish to leave the country, we are making full preparations to evacuate them this week," Chung said during a meeting of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee.

Chung added that evacuation efforts have been complicated by airport closures and congestion on roads, but that South Korean Embassy personnel plan to resume the operation as soon as possible.

He also said the government will join the international community's economic sanctions campaign against Russia, including export controls on strategic materials.

In response to Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Sang-min's skepticism about whether the United States can be trusted with South Korea's national security, given its response to the Ukraine crisis, Chung rejected any comparison between the two countries.

"The South Korea-U.S. alliance is not only the foundation of our foreign affairs and national security, our own defense capabilities are at a considerable level unlike Ukraine, so the people need not worry even little, in light of the U.S. response to the situation in Ukraine," he said.

When asked about the possibility of U.S. military operations in Ukraine and South Korea's participation in them, Chung said no such plans were under consideration either here or among the relevant nations. (Yonhap)