218 Koreans head home from Israel: Foreign Ministry

A total of 218 South Korean nationals in Israel headed home on Tuesday after Hamas’ attack Saturday, with 191 of them on a Korean Air flight and the rest on the move by foot to nearby Jordan.

Another 30 South Koreans will follow suit Thursday when they take a Turkish Airlines flight bound for Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday, adding that it is reaching out to the remaining 230 so that they may safely leave the country.

A total of 1,050 South Korean nationals are in Israel, with 570 on long-term stay while 480 are on short visits. Most are concentrated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to the ministry.

At an annual parliamentary audit Tuesday, Foreign Minister Park Jin said that no South Korean fatalities or casualties have been reported so far and that he will look into all possible measures including a potential rescue mission using military aircraft.

The ministry plans to back efforts to bring back peace in the Middle East, he added.