A man holds a banner that says, “No War Peace, Stop Invasion,” in front of the Russian Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 25, 2022, to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korean Embassy in Kyiv called Friday on its last remaining citizens in Ukraine to prepare for emergency situations as Russian forces are waging attacks on multiple fronts on Ukraine.
“There is a growing possibility of various chaotic situations in Kyiv and other major cities, including the cutting off of electricity and communication networks, arson and explosions, whose actors may be hard to specify,” the Korean Embassy wrote in a notice posted on its website.
The embassy advised the remaining people to be fully prepared for turmoil in the wake of the disruption to electricity and communications in conflict situations.
Embassy staff have provided emergency survival bags to them and are regularly checking their safety, it added.
Despite the government’s repeated warnings to leave Ukraine, there were 64 Korean nationals in the nation as of Thursday and 28 of them wished to remain there, according to the foreign ministry.
The ministry said earlier it will evacuate nonessential staff from Kyiv by Friday, along with other civilians via land routes, as Russian forces unleashed airstrikes on cities and military bases in several parts of Ukraine the previous day.
The Korean Embassy will continue to operate with a small number of staff, including the ambassador, for now to ensure the safety of the remaining people in Ukraine, according to Seoul officials.
On late Friday, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong also convened a meeting with the heads of the country’s diplomatic missions abroad to come up with ways to protect its citizens and companies overseas amid the Ukraine crisis.
“The embassy (in Ukraine) should cooperate with other nearby missions to ensure the safety of each overseas citizen to the end, and pay full attention for their protection and evacuation,” Chung was quoted as saying by the ministry.
Considering the growing economic uncertainties sparked by the situations in Ukraine, Chung added South Korea should step up diplomatic efforts to minimize the potential fallout on the country’s economy and its businesses.
(Yonhap)
