South Korea plans to hold a pan-governmental meeting next week to discuss ways to beef up the safety of its nationals living in the Middle East, following terrorist acts by Islamic State militants, officials said Monday.

The move comes amid concerns that the extremist Muslim militant group may target South Korean citizens in the region after two Japanese hostages have been purportedly killed by the IS in Syria.

"The government is preparing to come up with a set of measures related to protection of its overseas nationals," said a foreign ministry official.

Seoul has imposed travel bans on six countries -- Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen. More than 1,000 South Korean workers are known to stay in Iraq while about 40 nationals are in Yemen and Libya, respectively.

The government has been keeping close tabs on the possible impact of Muslim fundamentalism on its citizens since a South Korean teenager vanished in Turkey earlier last month.

The 18-year-old, identified only by his surname Kim, is believed to have crossed the border into Syria voluntarily to join the IS, according to Seoul police.

South Korea has set up a task force within the foreign ministry to deal with the issue following Kim's disappearance, it said. (Yonhap)