9 Koreans abducted in Nigeria

Nine Koreans and one Nigerian were kidnapped from an oil services base by militants in southern Nigeria`s volatile oil-producing Niger Delta yesterday afternoon Korean time, the Foreign Ministry said.

Armed militants used dynamite to attack a dormitory of the pipeline-laying construction site in Ogu, Bayelsa state, at 4:50 a.m. local time, the ministry said.

Gunshots were fired during the 40-minute assault, Han Sang-ho, a Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. official in Nigeria, told YTN. The attackers landed at the coastal site in three vessels, the ministry said. The site was reportedly guarded by some dozen soldiers.

The identity of the militants was not immediately confirmed.

"We`re making efforts to locate the men and their captors," Ekiyor Wilson, the state governor`s spokesman said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping.

The region`s main militant group responsible for dozens of previous and on-going kidnappings, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, was quoted by AP as saying that it was not responsible.

Korean Foreign Ministry`s Overseas Resident and Consular Affairs Bureau head Kim Bong-hyun confirmed that the kidnapped workers were unharmed at the time of the kidnapping. But the abductees, who contacted the company immediately after their capture, can no longer be reached by their mobile telephones, he said.

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The abducted Koreans include: Lee Mun-sik, 45; Hong Jong-taek, 41; Kim U-seong, 48; Kim Nam-sik, 42; Choi Jong-jin, 39; Yun Yeong-il, 53; Choi Jae-chang, 28; Park Yong-min, 32; Kim Jong-gi, 47.

It was not immediately made known what the abductors were demanding for their release.

Foreign Minister Song Min-soon spoke via telephone with his Nigerian counterpart later in the evening upon arriving in the Philippines for a regional forum.

Before leaving for the airport, Song held a brief press conference in Seoul, saying, "We will seek every possible means for the prompt release of the workers and will continue to work closely with the Nigerian government.

"Please rest assured that the government is doing everything it can," Song said, addressing the families of the abductees.

Cheong Wa Dae and the Foreign Ministry of Korea presided over emergency meetings to discuss measures.

The ministry mobilized a 24-hour emergency crisis headquarters.

The oil-rich Bayelsa state has been mired with rampant hostage-takings.

Five Chinese oil workers remain held captive by unidentified militants since last Friday.

Since Dec. 7 last year, three Italians and one Lebanese have been held hostage by the most prominent armed separatist group in the region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.

MEND last Sunday threatened to step up its attacks on oil fields unless its political demands were met.

The group is demanding the release of former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was jailed on corruption charges and separatist leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, who is being held on charges of treason.

The group also wants a larger share in oil revenues for the locals, and compensation for communities affected by oil pollution, according to news reports.

Nigeria has been going through deep internal conflict after incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo tried and failed to amend the constitution to allow himself to be reelected for a third term.

The country will hold a presidential election on April 21.

Last June, MEND had kidnapped five Korean workers, three of whom also belonged to Daewoo, but released them about 40 hours later.

"This is one abduction too many. We as a government will do everything humanly possible to secure the release of the men and put a stop to the criminal activities of the militants," Welson Ekiyor, state governor spokesman, was quoted as saying yesterday by AFP.

Last year, about 37 Nigerian troops and some 12 Nigerian oil workers were killed by the militants. Over 60 foreigners, mostly oil workers, were kidnapped.

Nigeria, Africa`s largest oil producer, gets more than 95 percent of its foreign exchange earnings from its oil revenues. But the country lost about 570 billion naira ($4.4 billion) in revenue last year due to frequent unrest in the delta region, news reports said.

(angiely@heraldm.com)



By Lee Joo-hee