Korea mulls evacuating its nationals in case of emergency amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun speaks during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno District, Seoul, Aug. 19. Yonhap

Korea is considering evacuating its citizens residing in Lebanon and Israel in the event of an emergency, as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate, a senior diplomat said Tuesday.

"We have plans in place for the evacuation of our nationals in case of emergency," First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun said during a televised interview, adding the government is closely monitoring the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

As of Tuesday, there were 480 and 140 Koreans in Israel and in Lebanon, respectively.

"If the situation worsens, airport closures or other disruptions could occur. We strongly advise our nationals to leave while commercial flights are still available," Kim said.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified since Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza began nearly a year ago. Recently, Israel has increased its bombardment of Hezbollah positions. (Yonhap)