The South Korean Embassy in Baghdad is seeking to move into a U.S. military-guarded district in the center of the Iraqi capital known as the Green Zone.

A government official said Friday that the relocation is being pursued as part of efforts to ensure the safety of the Korean embassy staff during the ongoing dispatch of additional Korean troops to the war-torn country.

The official said Seoul is currently looking for a building to house the embassy within the zone.

Currently, the buildings of the interim Iraqi government, the U.S. and British embassies as well as residences of U.S. military officials, are located in the five kilometer-square Green Zone.