By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff reporter
Four members of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee had a video meeting with the Korean ambassador to Afghanistan Thursday held at the foreign ministry in Seoul.
The closed-door meeting took place just weeks after South Korean workers at a construction site near the base of the provincial reconstruction team came under rocket attack from unidentified forces.
No one was hurt in the attack but the incident led to tighter security measures to protect the South Korean workers and military forces stationed there.
Joining the meeting were Chairman Won Hee-ryong, Reps. Park Sun-young, Yoo Ki-june and Kim Dong-cheol. Senior officials from the foreign ministry also attended.
Before starting the video call, Chairman Won said the lawmakers would be briefed by Ambassador Park Hae-yun regarding the overall security situation and safety measures for South Korean aid workers and military forces.
"During the question and answer session, we may discuss sensitive issues and this may lead to some worrisome situations for the South Korean troops and aid workers there," Won said of the reason why the meeting would not be open to the media.
According to a staffer from the foreign affairs committee, the meeting was arranged following a request by the committee members.
"As the security situation of the Korean workers and forces in Afghanistan heightened after the rocket attack early this month, committee Chairman Won asked the foreign affairs ministry to set up the meeting to hear details of the situation there directly from Ambassador Park," the staffer said, asking not to be named.