S. Korea closing temporary embassy in Lviv, Ukraine due to escalating situation

르비우 韓임시사무소 공관원 철수 시작…헝가리로 이동 중 Turning to the latest on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. South Korea's temporary embassy in Lviv is being closed down. This comes as more blasts have been reported, near Ukraine's second-largest airport in that western city... well away from the main battle sites. Eum Ji-young is on the line for us. Ji-young do fill us in. Daniel, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that officials at the temporary embassy in Lviv have evacuated along with South Korean nationals. Five South Korean nationals had been staying in Lviv as of 9:00 AM local time on Friday but only three fled to Hungary with the embassy officials. The remaining two decided to remain in Lviv despite the embassy's pleas to leave. The Ministry said that it will conduct daily safety checks on the two that decided to stay. Earlier, the ministry stated that escalating military threats had hindered the temporary embassy in being able to function properly and ensure the safety of its staff. But temporary offices in Chernivtsi in southwestern Ukraine as well as in Romania are to remain open. This comes as those in Ukraine have said multiple explosions have been heard and a mushroom-shaped large plume of smoke was seen at about 6:30 AM on Friday local time in the city of Lviv. The city's mayor said several Russian missiles hit an aircraft repair plant,... close to the international airport. Located about 70 kilometers from the Polish border,... Lviv is very close to NATO and attacks can lead to potential international repercussions. Although it is a city of just over 700-thousand, it hosts more than 200-thousand displaced Ukrainians searching for safety. Also, the wider area is considered as a major weapons supply route to the Ukrainian military. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart are set to hold a phoner. And this comes amid growing concern's over Beijing's relationship with Moscow. Yes, you are right Daniel Biden and Xi are to hold direct talks at 9 AM Eastern Time on Friday,... their first direct talks since November. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an earlier briefing that,... Biden will "make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression” and such actions would be followed by "costs". He also told reporters that he agrees with President Joe Biden that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. "Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree. Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past three weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise." Ahead of the call on Friday, Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that China “always stands for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries." Meanwhile, if Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion continues,...President Vladimir Putin is expected to make threats to use nuclear weapons against the West. This is according to a new assessment by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency. The agency said, the combination of drainage in manpower and consequent economic sanctions will threaten Russia's “ability to produce modern precision-guided munitions.” And added that it will increasingly rely on nuclear weapons to project strength. This is all I have for now. Back to you Daniel. #Russia #Ukraine #missile 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Arirang News(Twitter) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 News Center(YouTube) :    / newscenter_arirangtv   2022-03-18, 22:00 (KST)