1. In response to the earthquake in Ecuador on April 17, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea has decided to raise the Travel-alert Level for Manabi and Esmeraldas provinces in Ecuador from Level 1 (Precautious, Blue Alert) to Level 2 (Highly Cautious, Yellow Alert), effective from April 27.

2. Amid the concern over the possibility of aftershocks, the worsening of public security and the outbreak of infectious diseases in the course of the recovery from the disaster in Manabi and Esmeraldas provinces, the areas most affected by the recent earthquakes, the Travel-alert Level for the provinces has been raised to urge the ROK nationals visiting or residing in these areas to pay heed to their safety.

3. With the travel advisory raised for the aforementioned regions, ROK nationals visiting or staying there are advised to pay special heed to their safety and to seriously reconsider the need to travel.

3. On a related note, the ROK Foreign Ministry, through its website on safe overseas travel and emergency contact network in Ecuador, has been providing information on the earthquakes to ROK nationals visiting or residing in the country and advised them to pay heed to their safety. It has also asked them to contact the local ROK Embassy should an emergency arise.


* unofficial translation