The government said on Friday that the number of Koreans seeking to remain in Ukraine amid heightened tension in the region has dropped to below 40. 

A senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 74 Korean nationals still remain in the Eastern European country as of 6 p.m. Thursday with around 40 of them expressing their intent to leave the country. 

The total is down from Tuesday's more than 50 that had been unwilling to leave Ukraine. 

The official said the South Korean Embassy in Kyiv is trying to persuade around 30 people who remain adamant about staying to change their minds, while actively taking precautionary measures in case of emergency. 

On Sunday, the South Korean government issued a travel ban on the entire Ukraine region amid rising military tensions between the former Soviet state and Russia.