AROUND 300 S. KOREANS TO RETURN HOME ABOARD QATARI FLIGHT AMID MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

SEOUL, March 9 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- A special flight carrying around 300 South Korean nationals departed Qatar on Monday to bring them home amid the conflict in the Middle East, the South Korean foreign ministry said, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

The flight left Doha at 3.45 pm (Seoul time) and is scheduled to arrive in Incheon, west of Seoul, at around 12.21 am Tuesday, the ministry said.

The latest flight arrangement came as Seoul is stepping up its efforts to bring its citizens home from the conflict-hit region either by helping them escape to a third country nearby or arranging emergency flights home.

Early Monday, more than 200 South Koreans and their foreign family members returned home aboard a chartered flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). About 1,400 South Korean short-term travellers remain in the UAE.

Flight disruptions at major airports in the UAE, Qatar and other neighbouring countries have left thousands of South Koreans stranded, prompting Seoul to seek ways to facilitate their departure through consultations with the relevant countries.

Qatar's airspace remains partially open, with only a limited number of emergency flights to Europe currently in operation. South Korea has requested the Qatari government and airlines to resume flights to support the safe and swift return of its nationals.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP