Seoul: The foreign ministry announced on Friday that South Korea will broaden its travel ban in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to encompass three provinces due to the spreading Ebola virus disease. Effective from 2 p.m. Friday, a Level 4 travel alert, the highest in South Korea's travel alert system, will be issued for Ituri Province because of the increasing number of deaths associated with the virus.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this new measure will extend the no-travel zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to three provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. South Korean citizens visiting or residing in these areas without special passport-use authorization could face legal consequences under the passport law.

Furthermore, the ministry has set a Level 3 alert advising evacuation from locations within 50 kilometers of the Central African Republic's border, as well as seven additional provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele. A special travel advisory continues for the remainder of the African nation.

On Thursday, the ministry also issued a special travel advisory for the entire nation of Uganda after the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency labeled the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan as high-priority countries for Ebola quarantine management.

Ebola infections in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been rapidly increasing, resulting in over 160 suspected deaths, as reported by foreign media outlets.