Korea is serving as a temporary base for Japan-based employees of some multinational companies who are fleeing the quake-stricken country.

Foreign governments are advising their citizens to get out of the country and mobilizing airplanes to evacuate them as health risk fears are growing from radiation leaks at the nuclear plant in Fukushima. A growing number of foreigners are arriving in Korea, airport and airline officials here said.

Since Tuesday, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines added four to 11 additional flights every day to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers from Japan to Korea, according to the companies.

Sources said some of BMW’s employees in its Japan unit are staying in Korea while most of them and their families have returned to Germany.

The French government evacuated some 250 citizens from Japan to Korea on a special flight on Thursday and more are expected to be brought to Seoul. They will either leave for France or stay here before returning to Japan, sources said.

Hotels and travel agencies are bracing for a sharp increase in guests who are fleeing the Japanese nuclear crisis.

Some companies are considering Korea as a temporary business headquarters.

“Some multinational companies are considering moving their Asian business headquarters from Japan to safer countries such as Korea and Singapore in case the Japan crisis is prolonged,” an industry source said.

Japan is battling to minimize the nuclear disaster following Friday’s devastating 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami that claimed thousands of lives and crippled a nuclear plant 240 kilometers north of Tokyo.

Korean firms in Japan are cautious in moving their Japan-based employees in consideration of business interest.

Samsung Group, Korea’s largest business group, has around 400 workers in Japan, most of them residing in Tokyo.

“For now we don’t have plans to evacuate them from the country. But we are preparing for a worst situation and our employees will leave if conditions worsen,” an company official said.

LG, SK and other business groups are also said did not have any immediate plans to evacuate them, while ordering some of workers staying in the quake-hit eastern parts of the country to move to other places.

By Do Hyun-jung (kate01@heraldcorp.com)