Eight South Koreans were seized by Iraqi insurgents in Iraq, and one escaped later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Thursday.  

"At present, South Korean Ambassador to Iraq Im Hong-jae is contacting the insurgents, and we are trying to confirm the situation of the South Koreans through our embassy in Iraq and US troops there," said Shin Bong-kil, the spokesman of the ROK Foreign Ministry at an emergency press conference.

The incident took place on an expressway leading from Jordan into Iraq, 250 kilometers west of Baghdad, at 10:30 pm (1930 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Shin.

The captured South Koreans are pastors from the Christian Council of the ROK.

They are Huh Min-young, Lim Young-seok, Hong Gwang-cheon, Cho Jeong-hyon, Lee Myung-sook, Kim Pil-ja and Byun Kyong-ja. The one who escaped is Kim Sang-mi from the Seomoon Church in the South Korean port city of Incheon.

Moreover, the ROK's Yonhap News Agency also quoted Kim Sang-mi as saying, "We were on the way from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad, in two passenger cars. Around one and half hours before our arrival in Baghdad, and we were seized by strangers."

After arriving in Baghdad, Kim then reported the incident to the ROK Embassy, said Shin Bong-kil.

Right after receiving the report, ROK Ambassador to Iraq Im Hong-jae asked the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority to ascertain their whereabouts, identify the armed men's organization, take safety measures and make efforts to secure their release.

The ROK missions in Jordan and Iraq had failed to dissuade the pastors from entering Iraq. The Seoul government has classified Iraq as a country to which travel is not advised.

The spokesman said the ministry immediately set up emergency teams in Seoul and Baghdad to deal with the incident.

The ROK Foreign Ministry also recommended that South Korean civilians involved in non-essential business and civic group officials move to neighboring countries or return home until the situation is stabilized.

Apart from the eight people, there are 128 South Koreans in Iraq, including 14 government officials, 60 businessmen, 27 officials from nongovernmental organizations and nine journalists.

The incident came after two South Korean people were detained by Iraqi Shiite militia members on Monday. The two were released on Tuesday.

The ROK government has decided to send some additional 3,000 troops to Iraq around June. But a series of incidents involving South Koreans and deteriorated security situation in Iraq have aroused serious concern locally.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2004)