South Korea Martial Law: Foreign Office issues travel warning amid political turmoil - and dozens of tourists going missing

The Foreign Office issued urgent travel warnings to Brits heading to South Korea after chaos erupted on Tuesday (3 December) following the country's president's attempt to enforce martial law. Yoon's declaration of martial law faced criticism from both his opponents and members of his own party, leading to the South Korean parliament voting to lift the declaration less than three hours later. The president agreed to respect the National Assembly's decision and revoke martial law.

As a result, the British Foreign Office has issued travel warnings covering the entire country. The whole of South Korea is subject to an "advise against all but essential travel" alert, while three areas have been slapped with the most severe "advise against all travel" red warning. The cities impacted are Daegu, Gyeongsan and Cheongdo.

Minister Catherine West said that the British embassy in Seoul was keeping a close eye on the situation and maintaining communication with South Korean authorities. She further added: "We call for a peaceful resolution to the situation, in accordance with the law and the constitution of the Republic of Korea. British nationals in South Korea should continue to monitor and follow FCDO travel advice."

The Foreign Office updated its advice on Wednesday (4 December) which reads: “We are aware of the developing situation following a declaration of martial law in South Korea. This has now been lifted. Follow the advice of local authorities and avoid large public gatherings. Demonstrations are expected in the areas around Gwanghwamun, the Presidential Office (Samgakji) and the National Assembly (Yeouido).”

South Korea - a democracy since the 1980s - last saw a period of martial law in October 1979. MPs have called for a vote to impeach him which, if passed, will mean he has to resign.

The travel warning also comes as South Korean officials said on Tuesday that they are searching for over three dozen Vietnamese tourists who vanished last month shortly before their scheduled return. The missing tourists were part of a group of 90 who arrived at South Korea's premier resort island, Jeju, after departing the southern Vietnamese city of Nha Trang on a chartered flight operated by VietJet Air on November 14.

The visitors were traveling under a visa-free program that allows nationals from Vietnam and 64 other countries to stay on Jeju Island for up to 30 days. This means the group had until December 14 to remain there legally, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency cited immigration officials as saying.