As military clashes between Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and U.S. and European allies escalates in Libya, Seoul is reviewing a plan to evacuate the remaining 116 Koreans from the northern African country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday.

“The government is assessing the situation in Libya by closely consulting with the Korean Embassy there,” said a Foreign Ministry official.

The official said the UN-authorized air strikes are aimed at Libyan military facilities, adding that the government will pull out all remaining Koreans from Libya “if necessary.”

The official said the ministry has secured the contact information for all remaining Korean nationals in Libya. There were 68 Koreans in the capital of Tripoli as of yesterday.

Among the 48 Korean nationals staying in areas outside Tripoli, 26 Koreans were staying in Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city serving as headquarters for the rebel forces, while 10 were in Misurata and seven in Sirte, the ministry said. Misurata and Sirte are located between Tripoli and Benghazi.

The official said the Koreans were already informed of where to assemble if the evacuation plan is put in place. The ministry would first use land routes to evacuate Koreans, the official said.

Korea’s anti-piracy destroyer Choi Young, used to evacuate Koreans from Libya amid the growing pro-democracy rally earlier this month, would not be mobilized this time, the official said.

But the ministry is keeping the destroyer near Egypt in case it is needed.

On Saturday, U.S. and European allies hit Libyan coastal areas controlled by Qaddafi forces with missiles - including volley after volley of Tomahawk cruise missiles - to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone and to protect antigovernment protesters from being overwhelmed by pro-Qaddafi forces.


By Moon Gwang-lip [joe@joongang.co.kr]