Following Iran's retaliatory attacks on military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, the South Korean government is mobilizing means to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals in the Middle East.

The Foreign Ministry has prepared ships and aircraft to assist South Koreans in Iran and Iraq to promptly evacuate when necessary. The ministry has also drawn up an evacuation plan for South Koreans in nearby Lebanon and Israel.

Seoul plans to issue a recommendation to evacuate the region depending on how the situation develops between the U.S. and Iran.

The ministry is monitoring the situation around-the-clock and is expected to hold a pan-government meeting to put forth additional response measures.

There are close to one-thousand-600 South Koreans in Iraq, most of them employees of South Korean firms building projects such as the Karbala refinery and Bismayah New City.

There are 290 South Koreans in Iran, 150 in Lebanon and 700 in Israel.