2023-12-29 23:23:00
Residents of Bokos, Plateau State, Nigeria, flee from an attack by gunmen. /AP Yonhap News
Two Koreans who were kidnapped by a local armed group in Nigeria were released safely 17 days after their abduction.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 30th, “We have secured the new bodies of two Korean citizens who were kidnapped in Nigeria. They are in good health, and after a hospital checkup, they moved to a safe area and spoke with their families.” Those released were Daewoo Engineering & Construction employees who were kidnapped in an ambush by an armed group in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria around 10 a.m. on the 12th (local time). In the process, four local bodyguards and two drivers died.
After the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established and operated the Overseas National Protection Countermeasure Headquarters and worked with the Nigerian military, police, and intelligence authorities to confirm the safety of Korean citizens and secure new recruits. Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin spoke on the phone with the two people who were safely released and offered his condolences and said, “President Yoon Seok-yeol also instructed us to make every effort to ensure the safety of the kidnapped people.”
Daewoo Engineering & Construction also issued a press release on the same day, saying, “We would like to thank the government of the Republic of Korea and the Nigerian government for mobilizing all diplomatic channels to provide support for the safe release of the kidnapped employees.” “I plan to return to Korea,” he said. He added, “We will use this incident as an opportunity to create a safer working environment by coming up with measures to strengthen the local security system.”
Meanwhile, it has been 11 years since 2012 that a kidnapping incident targeting a Korean national occurred in Nigeria. In addition to these two cases, Korean nationals were kidnapped once and twice in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Most of the cases were aimed at ransom. In Nigeria, where economic difficulties and political turmoil are mixed, such kidnapping incidents occur frequently. The number has tripled in the past five years, and stands at about 800 this year, following 1,129 last year.
Since many Korean companies, such as Daewoo, Samsung, LG, and Lotte, have entered the market, Koreans are also major targets. There are about 400 Korean residents living in Nigeria and about 340 workers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We will continue active preventive activities, such as reviewing local protection measures for overseas nationals and preparing self-rescue measures with related embassies, companies, and overseas Koreans to prevent kidnapping damage.”
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