Four kidnapped S. Korean expatriates freed

SEOUL  (AFP) – Four South Korean workers who were kidnapped earlier this week in Bayelsa state have been released unharmed, a foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.

The four workers from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, were abducted by armed men Monday while working at a construction site in the state of Bayelsa.

They were freed unharmed late Friday, the South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.

Two Nigerian co-workers were kidnapped alongside the South Koreans, with one apparently released soon after the incident, according to Hyundai. There was no information on whether the other Nigerian was also set free Friday.

It is not known if a ransom was paid.

Gangs looking for ransom money have frequently abducted expatriates working in the oil-producing Niger Delta.