By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

The South Korean Embassy in Iraq on Thursday strongly urged its citizens there to leave the war-torn nation immediately, citing the worsening security conditions.

``The security situation here in Baghdad has been deteriorating rapidly in recent days,’’ the embassy said in a notice posted on its Web site, recommending South Korean nationals in Iraq to leave for another country.

``Those who must stay in Baghdad are strongly advised to stay indoors and strengthen security measures,’’ it said. ``And please contact the embassy immediately in case of emergency.’’

Fears of terrorist attacks have been mounting as U.S. forces gear up for a ``final’’ assault on Iraqi insurgents in Najaf, who are threatening to blow up oil pipelines.

The South Korean government has been stepping up efforts to persuade its citizens to refrain from visiting Iraq, especially after Kim Sun-il, a civilian worker, was kidnapped and killed by Islamic militants in the Middle Eastern country in June.

Kim was beheaded by Iraqi insurgents after Seoul rejected their demands for the cancellation of the additional troop dispatch, which was to make South Korea the largest member of the coalition forces after the United States and Britain.

Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon said during his weekly press briefing on Wednesday that there are still a double-digit number of Koreans in Iraq, although he did not disclose the exact number for safety reasons.

``The number will likely increase as our troops begin to be deployed in the northern Kurdish-controlled town of Irbil,’’ he said, adding his ministry was strengthening security measures there to keep them safe.

Having kept several hundred medics and engineers in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq since last year, Seoul plans to increase its troops in the country to 3,600 by sending about 3,000 more soldiers over the coming months for rehabilitation work.

The deployment of the Zayitun Unit, meaning ``olive’’ in Arabic, has been carried out in recent weeks without the release of details for security reasons as terrorist groups have threatened to attack South Koreans if Seoul pushed ahead with its plan.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr