More on South Korean Woman Missing in Yemen Confirmed Killed
Lee, Minhwan
SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government expressed "anger and
shock" Tuesday over the slaying of a South Korean woman apparently kidnapped
by insurgents in Yemen, with the fate of six other foreigners still
unconfirmed.
Eom Young-sun, 34, had been missing since Friday, when she went on a picnic
in the northern Yemeni province of Sada with eight other foreigners from
Germany and Britain including three children. The Yemeni authorities said
they were presumed to have been abducted by local rebels or terrorists,
possibly al-Qaida.
Eom had been tutoring the children of South Korean members of World Wide
Services, an international medical assistance organization.
"The bodies of three women were found on Monday, according to the Yemeni
government. And one of them has been confirmed to be that of Eom," a foreign
ministry official told reporters in a background briefing on condition of
anonymity. "The fate of six others missing including two children has yet to
be confirmed."
The official withheld the nationality of the other two women found dead.
It took time to identify the victims as their bodies were severely damaged,
he said, adding Eom's body, now in a Sada hospital, will be transferred soon
to the Yemeni capital Sanna by a military plane to be brought to South
Korea. Eom's family plans to leave for Yemen as early as Tuesday night.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the killings, but local rebels or
terrorists are believed to be behind it, the official said.
South Korea's foreign ministry strongly denounced the killings.
"The government cannot contain its anger and shock over the confirmation
that our national has been killed," it said in a statement. "South Korea
will cooperate closely with Yemen, Germany, and Britain to find out details
of this case."
The government has a firm position that terrorist acts against innocent
foreigners are an inhumane crime and that it will actively join
international efforts to root out terrorism, the ministry said.
Terrorist attacks against locals and foreigners have been increasing in
Yemen, one of the most underdeveloped Arab nations.
In March, four South Korean tourists were killed and three others wounded in
Yemen from a terrorist bomb attack in the historic city of Shibam, some 90
kilometers east of Sanna. There was another bomb attack against South Korean
government officials visiting there to handle the case, but no one was hurt.
The Yemeni government said the two terrorist attacks, presumably by
al-Qaida, targeted unspecified foreigners.
Seoul issued a non-binding travel warning on Yemen shortly after the attack.
About 170 South Koreans reside in Yemen.
The government said it will "prudently review" whether to prevent South
Koreans from traveling to Yemen, saying it is a matter associated with the
people's basic rights to physical freedom.
South Korea has placed a travel ban on only three nations -- Iraq, Somalia
and Afghanistan.
Officials said taking such a measure against a country risks exacerbating
diplomatic ties with it.
"We need to closely review the security situation in Yemen, comparing it
with those of the three designated countries," another ministry official
said.
Chairman MaObama
you killed.
Why go to Africa in the first place?
F'em
"Lee, Minhwan" <minhw...@att.net> wrote in message
news:yAGZl.30006$c45....@nlpi065.nbdc.sbc.com...