Kidnapped Korean trade official freed in Libya

Описание: Some good news to start off with...
The Korean trade official who was kidnapped in Libya earlier this week has

been rescued... and is safe and unharmed.
For more, let's connect to our correspondent Hwang Sung-hee at the

foreign ministry.
Sung-hee, we hear the official is fine... what other details do we know at the

moment?

Good morning, Mark.
Korea's foreign ministry has confirmed that Han Seok-woo, the head of the

Libya unit of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency , is in good

health... and has been safely handed over to the Korean embassy in Tripoli

after being freed by Libyan security forces.
The release comes three days after Han was captured by a group of

unidentified armed men on his way home from work.
After being interviewed by the embassy about his abduction, Han is

expected to travel to the Mediterranean island of Malta to see his family

there and return to Korea with them.
Whether or not Han returns to his post in Libya is undecided for now... but

KOTRA says the decision is solely up to him.

It sure is a relief to know that he is now in safe hands.... for his family in

particular... it must have been a terrible time. But... I suppose the question on

everyone's lips will be whether a ransom was paid for his release?

No, there wasn't... although there were reports the kidnappers were asking

for as much as two-million U.S. dollars.
Seoul's foreign ministry says it's the Korean government's principle not to

pay ransoms for abductees and said the ministry, in cooperation with the

Libyan government, poured all its efforts into securing Han's release since

the day he was kidnapped.
The rescue operation was led by Libyan security forces and they have

arrested the four kidnappers, who are reportedly part of a small militia.
We don't know why Han was taken in the first place, but it's believed the

abduction was not ideologically or politically motivated, but that the

kidnappers were after money.
Most of Libya has struggled with violence and unrest in recent years

following the ouster and death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi... and there are

around 7-thousand such armed militias operating across the country... with

foreigners often being targeted for kidnap.

Thank you, Sung-hee.
That was our Hwang Sung-hee reporting live on the safe release of Han

Seok-woo, the Korean trade official who was kidnapped in Libya earlier this

week.