Korean civilian reconstruction workers in Afghanistan came under rocket attack Wednesday but no casualties were reported, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
Two rockets were fired, and one of them was found about 200 or 300 meters outside the base of Korea's provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Charikar, the capital of the northern Afghan province of Parwan, ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters.
Kim said it has not been confirmed whether the other fell inside the site or not.
In response to the rocket attack, Afghan security guards, who were stationed inside the site to protect Korean workers, returned fire.
At the time, 58 Korean reconstruction workers and 60 Afghan security guards were at the site.
So far, no groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the incident.
The attack came hours before a Korean provincial reconstruction team was scheduled to officially initiate their mission there, fueling speculation about the motive.
Kim said the ministry was investigating who masterminded the attack and why they did it.
"We are investigating who is behind the attack and would not rule out the possibility of the Taliban or other insurgents having been involved," he said.
The incident has prompted the foreign ministry, along with other ministries, to look for ways of better protecting the civilian workers and military personnel.
Meanwhile, activists and opposition parties that are at odds with the government over sending troops to Afghanistan are likely to raise their voice over the danger the Koreans there are in.
A group of 69 groups, in collaboration with progressive parties including the Democratic Labor Party, launched an anti-troop deployment campaign earlier this week.
They claimed that security in the war-torn nation is still in peril and therefore sending civilians and troops to help reconstruct Afghanistan could come at the price of their lives.
Earlier, those who opposed the plan to send troops and civilians to Afghanistan for reconstruction activities argued that Korea joining the U.S.-led Afghan war could make Koreans all over the world a target of international terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.
Thursday's attack raised concerns over the safety of Koreans stationed in Afghanistan.
Shortly after the incident, the joint military and civilian team, in collaboration with the U.S. military, conducted searches.
The PRT team was dispatched to help reconstruct the war-torn country through medical, health and vocational training and rural development assistance, the ministry said.
The 321-member Ashena unit is tasked with guarding Korean reconstruction workers. The aid team is composed of 90 reconstruction workers and 40 police officers.