A South Korean woman, who was rescued by the French military after nearly a month of captivity in the western African country of Burkina Faso, remains in good health, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.
The Korean woman in her 40s was one of the four hostages freed from a militant group in the African nation after being held hostage for 28 days. Two French tourists and the Korean national were airlifted on a special plane and arrived in Paris on Saturday.
Two French soldiers died in the rescue operation.
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(AFP-Yonhap) |
"A military hospital in France conducted medical checkups on her and said there is no particular problem with her health. The hospital said it plans to discharge her after conducting psychological treatment and monitoring the progress," a ministry official said.
The official said the woman talked with her family in Korea by phone and will return home as soon as possible if she has no health problem.
South Korean Ambassador to France Choi Jong-moon relayed to French President Emmanuel Macron President Moon Jae-in's expression of thanks for rescuing the Korean national and his condolences for the French victims, the ministry added.
The foreign ministry is considering raising a travel alert level in the region where the kidnapping occurred.
The two French people reportedly went missing on May 1 at a national park in the northern part of the western African country of Benin.
"France has notified us that the Korean woman appears to have been kidnapped by a militant group, along with an American woman, near a (border) checkpoint when she was heading to Benin from the southern part of Burkina Faso," a foreign ministry official said.
The Korean government has issued a "red" travel warning for the northern part of Burkina Faso, under which people are advised either not to travel to or to leave the country where the warning is imposed.
A yellow travel alert, which calls for restraints for trips, has been imposed in the southern areas of the country. But Seoul has not issued any travel warning in Benin. (Yonhap)
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