PHL identifies possible evacuation sites for Pinoys in South Korea



The Philippine Embassy in Seoul has identified two possible evacuation sites for the thousands of Filipinos in South Korea should conflict escalates in the Korean Peninsula.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said although the situation remains normal in South Korea, Manila’s embassy has imposed a “state of heightened alertness” or Alert Level 1 for the estimated 40,000 Filipinos working there.

Hernandez said the embassy is looking into the Southeastern cities of Gimhae and Daegu as evacuation areas for the Filipinos.

Hernandez could not confirm if there are still Filipinos in North Korea, but said as of last year, there were between five to seven Philippine nationals working for non-government agencies there.

“We have not had the chance to verify if they have already left the area,” he said.

Tensions between the two Koreas ratcheted up in recent days after  Pyongyang on Saturday said it was entering a “state of war” with South Korea following what it called “hostile” military drills being staged by the South with United States forces.

South Korea said it will retaliate if North Korea would launch an attack on its territory.

Hernandez said Philippine officials in Seoul are in close and regular contact with the Filipino community leaders as part of efforts to refine the existing contingency plan.

In its report to the Home Office in Manila, the embassy said it is “business as usual and that life proceeds normally” in South Korea.

Nevertheless, the embassy said it is closely following developments in the Korean Peninsula and is "preparing for any eventuality."

“The embassy continues to monitor the situation in coordination with South Korean authorities and with the US forces and the United Nations command in South Korea,” Hernandez said.

In the meantime, Filipinos in South Korea were urged to visit the embassy website for additional information on the contingency plan, watch TV, listen to radio and read newspapers on the ongoing developments in the Korean Peninsula.

A travel ban for Filipino tourists, on the other hand, is not being considered at the moment, Hernandez said. — KBK, GMA News

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