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Korea to issue travel ban for eastern province of DR Congo amid armed clashes

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Pedestrians and vehicles pass an intersection as people begin to venture onto the streets in Goma, Friday. The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups. AFP-Yonhap

Pedestrians and vehicles pass an intersection as people begin to venture onto the streets in Goma, Friday. The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups. AFP-Yonhap

Korea plans to issue a travel ban for an eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to intensifying fighting between government and rebel forces in the country, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The Level 4 travel ban, the highest of the country's four-scale travel warning system, will take effect Saturday for the Central African country's North Kivu Province, according to the ministry.

Korea will maintain a Level 3 alert and special travel advisory for other parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Under a Level 3 alert, Seoul recommends citizens to leave the area.

The Central African country has recently been roiled by unrest as the M23 rebel group has been engaged in armed conflict with government forces. (Yonhap)