According to a report submitted to lawmaker Kim Jun-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, seven travel warnings were issued for the Southeast Asian country between 2021 and October 2026.
Next were Mexico, Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Thailand, with five such warnings each.
The ministry's five-tier travel warnings range from a warning that urges travelers to exercise caution to a ban on travel. They also include advisories urging travelers to avoid trips to affected areas or leave immediately, depending on the level of risk.
If extensions of existing travel warnings are also counted, Russia had the highest number of warnings over the same period, with 18, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 15 and El Salvador with 11.
No travel warnings have been raised for European countries despite a recent spread of large-scale protests across parts of the continent. As for France, the ministry's travel advisory remains at its lowest level, after being downgraded in November 2022 from a warning issued during the coronavirus pandemic that advised travelers to refrain from traveling to the country.
The ministry said it is not currently considering raising the warning level for France, as protests have been limited to certain areas and a higher advisory could affect business activities.
"The government should monitor changing situations overseas to promptly provide information on high-risk areas," Kim said, stressing the need to ensure South Koreans' safety when traveling or staying abroad.
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