▲ The foreign ministry building in Seoul (Yonhap)

S Koreans-Myanmar

19 S. Koreans held captive in Myanmar safely released: ministry

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Koreans held captive by an illegal firm in Myanmar has been released and safely moved to the country's commercial capital of Yangon, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

After receiving reports in early October that 19 South Koreans were held captive in the border town of Tachileik, the ministry said it asked police authorities in Myanmar for swift measures to ensure their safety.

The Myanmar authorities successfully located their whereabouts after launching a search mission late last month and helped them to relocate safely to Yangon on Monday, according to the ministry.

Tachileik is located in the Golden Triangle, which straddles Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The area is known as a hub for illegal activities, such as trafficking and voice phishing scams.

The ministry urged South Koreans to take extra caution in the area as cases involving luring people with the promise of high profits and then kidnapping and forcing them to engage in illegal activities have recently increased there.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]