Abducted in Libya

[Anchor Lead]

A Korean national was abducted in Libya by a local militia group on July 6th and is still being held captive. The government has sent the Cheonghae naval unit to the region and is working together with the Libyan government to assess the situation and bring him home safely.

[Pkg]

This is a video released by a major Libyan media outlet. Four men are sitting on what appears to be the sandy ground of a desert. They seem thirsty, taking turns drinking out of a big bottle of water. Behind them is a man armed with a rifle. A man seemingly in his 60s introduces himself as a Korean national.

[Soundbite] "Please help me, president, our country South Korea."

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that this man is a Korean abducted by armed assailants in the western region of Libya on July 6th. The other three men said they were workers from the Philippines. They were staying at a company camp while working at a water management company in Libya before being taken by the armed men. A Foreign Ministry official reported that judging from the video, the Korean man appears to be in good condition so far. Immediately after the kidnapping took place, the Korean government had sent an emergency response team led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Libya to work together with Libyan authorities. To date, authorities haven't figured out who the kidnappers are, why the video was made and released, and what their demands are. President Moon Jae-in has ordered the Cheonghae Unit, which had been operating in the Gulf of Aden, to sail over to nearby waters to wait for further instructions.