The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is facing public criticism over its decision to belatedly raise the travel alert for the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt after three Koreans were abducted and later freed by armed tribesmen.

However, a ministry official said the government had already released travel warnings for the region through the ministry before the kidnapping occurred.

The ministry raised their alert from level two to three, advising Korean nationals not to travel there, after two Korean Christians and one tour guide were kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen demanding the release by Egyptian authorities of detained relatives.

The abduction took place while the Koreans were waiting on a tour bus for a group of tourists, who had gone to the restroom. Other tour groups on the trip and a security bus had left the scene.

The Koreans were freed on Saturday.

One of the abducted Koreans was quoted by Yonhap News as saying that no one in the group heard the Korean Embassy in Egypt or a travel agency warn them of the kidnappings on the Sinai Peninsula.

However, the ministry cannot ban Koreans from traveling to a certain area unless it raises the alert to level four ― which is a travel ban.

At level four, tourists need the government’s approval to travel to the country in question.

“The travel alert system allows Koreans to be aware of threats while traveling overseas and lets them decide whether to travel or not voluntarily,” a Foreign Ministry official said.

When considering a travel alert, ministry officials must also consider the diplomatic relations with the country as well.

When the Seoul government issued a travel alert for Thailand in 2008 over concerns for anti-government protests, the Thai government complained about a decrease in the number of Korean tourists.

Korea is the only country that sets outbound travel bans and travel alerts for safety reasons, while other countries only issue travel warnings, according to the Foreign Ministry.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)