By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Five Koreans ― four men and one woman ― had been abducted by several unidentified kidnappers who had disguised themselves as police officers in a U.S.-Mexico border city on July 14, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Tuesday.
The official, asking not to be identified, said the abductors have demanded $30,000 in ransom, but declined to give details about the whereabouts of the South Korean nationals and their condition.
"As far as I know, the kidnappers have contacted one of the families of the hostages and asked if they were willing to meet their demands for release," he said.
"Two of the hostages identified by their family names Park and Lee, respectively, phoned Korean embassy officials stationed in Mexico. However, the remaining three didn't talk with consular staff."
The ministry said more details will come out later Wednesday.
"We've asked our embassy in Mexico to immediately send details of the incident," a spokesman told The Korea Times.
This latest kidnapping comes amid heightened fears of abductions after 23 Koreans were taken hostage in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan last year. Taliban militants killed two of the hostages before freeing the rest in August in an apparent deal with Seoul.
The Sunday Telegraph, affiliated with the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, reported Seoul paid $10 million in exchange for the 21 who were freed, though Seoul denied this.
Later, Taliban officials claimed the money paid was used to buy weapons and ammunition.