S. Korean hostage in Libya freed after 315 days held captive: Blue House

Описание: 청와대, 리비아 피랍 한국인 315일만에 무사 석방

The presidential office says.... a South Korean man who was abducted by armed militants in Libya last year has been released unharmed.
The man, identified by his surname Joo, will return home Saturday.
Shin Se-min reports.
A South Korean man ready to return home after 315 days of being held captive by militants in Libya.
The Presidential Office said Friday that the 62-year-old, identified by his surname Joo, had been freed unharmed on Thursday evening, Korea time. He had been working at a local water plant in the south eastern part of the country.
Only one other South Korean national has been held captive for longer, a man held by Somali pirates for 582 days .
"Shortly after the man's abduction, our government created a task force team centered on the foreign ministry and the National Intelligence Service. We worked with allied governments including Libya, the U.S., the UK, France and Italy to help free the hostage."
As well as the task force team,... Seoul deployed a warship to Libya last July, in an apparent show of force to secure the release of Joo.
The ship was relocated from the Gulf of Aden where it had been carrying out anti-piracy operations but no military operations are believed to have been pursued.
The security chief also said the militants are a known criminal gang that operates in the region,... but details of the man's kidnapping and the conditions he was held in are still being investigated.
The top office said the United Arab Emirates played an active role in freeing the South Korean man,... referring back to a summit between President Moon Jae-in and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when they agreed to support Seoul's efforts to secure the man's release.
Chung said the UAE's foreign ministry looks to have coordinated closely with Libyan defense officials,... but no further details have been made public.
South Korea's presidential office reaffirmed it will come up with complementary measures to secure the safety of South Korean nationals in danger zones around the world to prevent similar cases happening again in the future.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.

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