foreign ministry-Middle East

▲ This image from video obtained and verified by the Associated Press shows thick black smoke and flames rising from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after a Houthi attack on Oct. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Sunday it raised a travel warning for Saudi Arabia to the second-highest level amid continued attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on the Middle Eastern country.

The ministry said it issued a "Level 3" warning for Saudi Arabia as of 10 p.m. Sunday, recommending all South Korean nationals leave the country under attack unless on urgent business and those who wish to travel to Saudi Arabia cancel or postpone those plans.

The ministry made the decision after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held a meeting with South Korean diplomatic missions in 15 Middle Eastern nations to review security situations in the region.

Those nations included Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran and Israel.

The ministry said Cho noted recent attacks by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which killed a dozen people and injured several hundred. The Houthis have also warned airlines and passengers not to use Saudi Arabian airports and airspace.

Cho urged South Korean diplomats in the Middle East to take extra care in protecting South Korean nationals overseas and stay prepared for all possible contingencies, according to the ministry.

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