By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

Seven South Korean volunteers and their family members will leave Yemen in two to three weeks in the wake of the recent murder of nine foreigners and the subsequent safety concerns, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Thursday.

The ministry has asked people to refrain from traveling to the country on the Arabian Peninsula since March when four South Korean citizens were killed by a terrorist bomb attack.

South Korea has also mulled over whether or not to ban touring the area after a 34-year-old aid worker who volunteered under the WorldWide Service was found dead there Monday night.

``The ministry asked South Korean citizens to leave Yemen as soon as possible, unless they are on urgent business,'' ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young told reporters.

He continued, ``Seven South Korean members of a voluntary organization and their families informed us that they will all leave the country in two to three weeks.''

The volunteer, named Eom Young-sun, was abducted with eight fellow aid workers from Germany and Britain while on a picnic last Friday.

All of the workers were found dead with their bodies mutilated in the Saada region, about 200 kilometers north of Yemeni capital, San'a.

No militants or armed groups claimed responsibility for the murders.

Eom's father and younger sister arrived in the capital city Wednesday to collect her body.

A ministry official accompanied the bereaved family and will help transport her remains, which are scheduled to be returned home today.

The spokesman noted that the government will use its utmost efforts to find out who killed the aid worker and for what reason.

``By participating in a joint investigation with Yemen, Germany and Britain, we are doing our best to get to the bottom of the case,'' Moon said.

``The government will cautiously review whether to impose a travel ban on Yemen, considering the security situation there,'' he added.

The government issued a statement the day after the incident happened, condemning the killings.

It also vowed to support the international community's initiative to fight terrorism, especially terrorism targeting innocent foreigners.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr