Korea raises travel alerts for parts of Nigeria, Mozambique; lowers warning for S. Africa, Botswana

Korea will raise travel alerts for parts of Nigeria and Mozambique, while lowering warnings for South Africa and Botswana, the foreign ministry said Friday, as part of its regular half-yearly advisory adjustment. The travel alert for five northern states and a southern state in Nigeria will be elevated to Level 3, which calls on Korean nationals in the areas to leave, as kidnappings and attacks by armed groups have been on the rise. Nigeria is currently under a country-wide Level 2 warning, which advises against travel. A special travel advisory, calling for citizens to cancel or postpone their trips unless essential, will take effect for parts of Mozambique, given the spread of attacks by Islamist terrorist groups. A Level 1 alert, the lowest of the four-scale alert system that calls for caution, will be put in place for Namibia, due to an unstable security situation and public health conditions. The special travel advisories for South Africa and Botswana will be lowered to Level 2 and Level 1, respectively, as the security situations have improved. Travel alerts for Bolivia's Cochabamba