Malta-based Korean abducted in Tripoli

A South Korean official who is based in Malta and works with a Korean state-run trade agency has been kidnapped in Libya by unidentified armed men, and his whereabouts remains unknown, the Korean foreign ministry has announced.

Han Seok-woo, head of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency's Libya unit, was abducted by four gunmen while on his way home from his office in Tripoli at around 5:30pm on Sunday, ministry officials said. The assailants headed west, leaving behind Han's car and Iraqi driver, who reported the incident to the Korean Embassy there.

Known for his expertise in Arabic language and trade affairs in the Middle East, 39-year-old Han began his second stint in Tripoli in July 2012. He is the only Korean staffer at the regional KOTRA office and works with six other locally hired employees, while his family stays in Malta for safety reasons.

"We learned that the suspects got ahead of the abductee's vehicle, forced it to stop and threatened them with weapons before kidnapping him," a senior ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility yet. Seoul officials said they believe the attack was premeditated.

More than 550 Koreans reside in Libya, many of them working for construction and engineering companies.