About 1,400 South Koreans were in Libya -- about 1,050 of them in and around Tripoli and some 340 others in and around the eastern port city of Benghazi, according to the foreign ministry here.

   "The Choi Young left from the Gulf of Aden for Libya on Thursday afternoon (Korean time)," a defense ministry official said, expecting the warship to approach Libya in early March.

   The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the destroyer, which carries about 300 troops and is capable of accommodating 100 more, is being sent as part of a backup plan.

   Earlier in the day, a foreign ministry official here said Seoul has chartered a flight to bring hundreds of South Korean nationals out of Libya as a growing number of them seek to flee the unrest.

   South Korea is advising those near Benghazi to move to nearby Egypt by land or by ship because it is too dangerous to travel from Benghazi to Tripoli by air, the official said.

   About 50 South Koreans in the Benghazi region are scheduled to travel out of Libya aboard a Turkish ship, the foreign ministry official said.

   Earlier Thursday, President Lee Myung-bak ordered the government to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya.

   "(The government) should use every possible means to protect our people and workers at companies operating there," Lee said at an emergency meeting with his economic and diplomatic teams, according to his spokeswoman, Kim Hee-jung.

 

Officials also said a South Korea-chartered flight will bring hundreds of the country's nationals out of Libya on Thursday as a growing number of people seek to flee escalating anti-government unrest in the African nation.

The Egypt Airlines flight is scheduled to arrive at the airport in the Libyan capital of Tripoli at 9:35 a.m. (4:35 p.m. Korean time). The Airbus 330, which can carry up to 260 people, is expected to go to Cairo with a near full capacity of passengers, the foreign ministry official said.

 An additional charter flight will be sent if needed, he said.


 About 1,400 South Koreans were in Libya -- about 1,050 of them in and around Tripoli and some 340 others in and around the eastern port city of Benghazi. 

 The charter flight will be used to evacuate those near Tripoli, and the government is advising those near Benghazi to move to nearby Egypt by land or by ship because it is too dangerous to travel from Benghazi to Tripoli to take flights.

 Of those in the Benghazi region, 45 South Korean and 1,600 Bangladesh construction workers left for Egypt by land. Among that group, 39 South Korean and 500 Bangladesh workers have already arrived in Egypt while the others are expected to get there later Thursday, the official said.

 About 50 South Koreans in the Benghazi region are scheduled to travel out of Libya aboard a Turkish ship, he said.


  South Korean ambassador to Libya Jo Dae-sik is expected to fly to Tripoli from Tunisia later Thursday. The envoy had been in Seoul for an annual conference of South Korean diplomatic mission chiefs but cut short his schedule and returned to the region to oversee safety measures.


  On Thursday, President Lee Myung-bak ordered the government to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya.


   "(The government) should use every possible means to protect our people and workers at companies operating there," Lee said at an emergency meeting with his economic and diplomatic teams, according to his spokeswoman, Kim Hee-jung. (Yonhap News)