Five South Korean nationals who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin have been released, the foreign ministry said Saturday.

The South Koreans were released from southern Nigeria on Friday (local time), around a month after being abducted in waters about 111 kilometers south from Cotonou Port of Benin, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On June 24, the armed group attacked a 994-ton fishing vessel. A total of 30 crewmen were aboard the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier, but only six of them were kidnapped.

The ministry said the released South Koreans are in good health and currently in a safe location prepared by its embassy in Nigeria.

The other abductee, a Ghanaian national, was also safely moved to the Ghanaian Embassy in the country.

The South Koreans will be transported to Ghana if they desire, as soon as a flight becomes available, it added. (Yonhap)