No need to raise alert level for Filipinos in South Korea

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government has no plan to raise alert level for over 40,000 Filipinos living in South Korea as the situation in the Korean Peninsula remains normal, a senior official said today.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told a state-run radio that the assessment was made based on the report given by the Philippine Embassy in South Korea through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

"Because the situation remains normal, we see no reason why the alert level should be raised today," she explained.

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Friday that he ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to fly to Seoul Saturday to oversee the embassy's preparations in the event that there is a need to evacuate the Filipinos there.

However, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said Saturday that Mr. Rosario's scheduled trip to Seoul has been postponed for a short period to "complete the gathering of necessary information". The Philippines has consulted with its international partners on the situation, and found there is no imminent threat as of Saturday, he added.

Tension in the Korean Peninsula has been high due to Pyongyang' s threat to launch nuclear attack on the United States and its ally South Korea, raising concerns in the Philippines for the Filipinos working in South Korea.