As US-Israeli strikes on Iran raise fears of a broader regional conflict, South Korean companies are moving quickly to safeguard employees, relocating staff from high-risk areas and activating emergency protocols across the Middle East.
Industry officials said Tuesday that Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group have evacuated personnel from their Iranian and Israeli offices to nearby countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan.
Samsung relocated employees from both countries and temporarily closed its Iranian office for a week. While staff in Saudi Arabia and Jordan continue normal operations, offices in the UAE and Iraq have shifted to remote work. The company is reviewing further steps, including extending remote work, relocating employees to third countries or arranging returns to Korea, depending on how the situation unfolds.
LG Electronics has also begun evacuations in coordination with local embassies. A Korean employee stationed in Iran left the country last week. The company has issued safety advisories across its Middle East operations, urging employees to avoid non-essential travel.
Hyundai Motor Group, which is building a production plant in Saudi Arabia under its Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Middle East project, said it is closely monitoring developments. Although some airports in the region have closed, construction workers and on-site personnel remain at work. The group has suspended operations at certain dealership showrooms in some Middle Eastern markets as a precaution.
“All employees in the Middle East are safe, and we are maintaining emergency communication protocols,” Hyundai said in a statement.
Other conglomerates are also tightening safeguards. SK Group confirmed the safety of its regional employees and said it continues to monitor the situation. HD Hyundai has shifted Middle East-based staff to remote work and activated emergency contact systems.
Hanwha Group, which operates defense, financial and machinery businesses across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, has established real-time communication channels between headquarters and overseas units to track employee safety. In Iraq, Hanwha has 123 employees on the ground, or 172 including family members.
As tensions intensify around the Strait of Hormuz, South Korea’s shipping industry has reinforced security measures for vessels transiting the strategic waterway.
The Korea Shipowners’ Association issued a notice to member lines, including HMM and Pan Ocean, calling for strict compliance with safety protocols. The directive urges pre-departure safety briefings, emergency response drills, enforcement of ship-specific security plans and reviews of war risk insurance coverage.
HMM, the nation's largest container carrier, has docked one vessel that had been transiting the Strait of Hormuz at the Port of Dubai, company officials said.
Authorities are sharing real-time vessel location data with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ control center and the Cheonghae naval unit deployed overseas. Shipping firms are coordinating with Korean embassies to support seafarers if routes are diverted.
The Foreign Ministry said no Korean nationals in Iran or Israel had been reported harmed as of press time. Evacuation and contingency measures are expected to remain in place as tensions show little sign of easing.
On Monday, the US State Department urged American citizens to immediately leave more than a dozen countries in the region, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
herim@heraldcorp.com
