Four Korean and one Nigerian employee of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the nation’s top shipbuilder, were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group at Brass Island in the state of Bayelsa, Nigeria, on Monday (local time), an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed on Tuesday.
“No contact has been made with the kidnappers yet. The ministry has launched an emergency team with the related governmental agencies in Seoul and Nigeria, including the Ministry of Land, Transport and Marine Affairs and the police, to work for their safe release,” said Cho Young-joon, the ministry spokesman responsible for external communication for the matter.
According to the account of the ministry, the armed group broke into the construction site of Hyundai Heavy Industries near the coastline at Brass Island. They then took six employees from the site by boat, but one Nigerian was ordered off the vessel. The employee allegedly swam back to shore, but the ministry has yet to be connected with the individual.
Hyundai Heavy Industries declined to reveal detailed profiles of the four Korean victims except their ages due to concerns over their safety. The four are aged 34 to 59, and they were building a facility to support the construction of a plant on Brass Island. Hyundai Heavy entered Nigeria last June to tap the plant building market after signing a memorandum of understanding with the state of Bayelsa.
It is the first time Hyundai Heavy has had any of its employees overseas kidnapped. As part of efforts to cope with the unprecedented incident, the company reportedly set up its own emergency team in its headquarters in Ulsan.
Unrest has plagued Nigeria’s southern delta region for years and armed insurgents have frequently kidnapped foreign workers for ransom, the ministry said.
Three employees of Daewoo Engineering and Construction were abducted in Nigeria in 2007 but were freed about a week after the abduction following ransom talks.
In April this year, one Korean worker of the same construction company was also kidnapped, but was set free after 10 days in captivity.
By Seo Jee-yeon
(jyseo@heraldcorp.com)
<한글 기사>
무장괴한, 현대중공업 근로자 6명 피랍
현지인 2명·외국인 4명…국적 확인 안돼
나이지리아 남부에서 현대중공업 근로자 6명이 피랍됐다고 현지 경찰이 17일(현지시간) 밝혔다.
현지 경찰 대변인은 이날 오후 3시30분께 바옐사주(州)에 위치한 현대중공업 지 사에서 나이지리아 국적 근로자 2명과 외국인 4명이 무장괴한들에게 납치됐다고 설명했다.
경찰은 납치된 외국인 근로자의 국적은 밝히지 않았다. 이 지역 현대중공업 지사 근로자들은 현지인을 제외하면 대부분 한국 국적 근로자들이다.
한편 아프리카 최대 석유 생산국인 나이지리아 남부 지역에서는 금전을 요구한 피랍 사건이 자주 발생한다.
지난주에도 나이지리아 건설회사 세트라코(Setraco)의 레바논 국적 근로자 2명 이 납치됐으며, 이들을 보호하려던 군인 한 명이 목숨을 잃었다.
이에 앞서 9일에는 응고지 오콘조-이웨알라(58) 재무장관의 모친 카메네 오콘조 (82)가 피랍된 지 5일 만에 풀려난 바 있다.
