South Korea Bans Citizens to Travel to Libya over Security Concern

South Korea Tuesday forbade 26 of its citizens to travel to the North African country as part of a blanket travel ban on the North African country that it believes is unsafe following the abduction of one Korean technician kidnapped in July alongside several Filipino workers.

The 26 citizens reportedly requested Seoul’s approval to travel to Libya but a foreign ministry meeting headed by Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho, turned down the request over security concerns, saying that the applicants’ accommodations in Libya are “very insufficient”, Libya Express reports.

The Asian country has put Libya on a blacklist after pulling out its diplomatic staff over security threats and the abduction in July of a Korean technician working on a water project.

The Korean ministry also wants all Korean nationals currently in Libya to leave immediately. It has threatened to take administrative steps such as nullifying their passports if they do not leave the country within a month.

“The decision is part of inevitable measures taken to ensure the safety of our citizens,” the ministry said. “While carefully watching the security situation in Libya, we plan to devise various measures to secure their safety.”

Early in August, the Korean Defense Ministry said it would send a warship that would protect commercial vessels in addition to preparing for all possibilities including the need for military support.