S. Korean military drawing up rescue plans for kidnapped citizens

DAEJEON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military is setting up its first
contingency plans for citizens kidnapped overseas amid an increasing number of
abduction cases involving South Korean citizens traveling or working abroad, the
Army Special Operations Command said Monday.
The move comes as eight South Korean crew members of a South Korean freighter
remain in captivity along with their 13 Myanmarese colleagues after their ship
was seized last month off the coast of Somalia.
The special operations command "is working to set up operation plans for cases in
which Korean citizens in overseas are kidnapped," the command said in a report to
the National Assembly Defense Committee at the Army Headquarters here.
The military is undergoing an annual parliamentary inspection that will end next
Thursday.
The special command failed to elaborate on its move to set up the contingency
plans, but informed sources here said the envisioned plans will include a rescue
mission by the special forces' counter-terrorism unit.
Seoul was earlier said to be considering permanently stationing a warship in
waters off Somalia to prevent any future attempts to hijack South Korean ships by
Somali pirates.
The Defense Ministry, however, has expressed its opposition to the plan, saying
it remains unconvinced of how effective it will be to discourage abduction
attempts.
"Dispatching troops involves much more work and consideration than just
dispatching a naval vessel. We must also consider whether we will be able to
prevent such an (abduction) incident should we dispatch troops," ministry
spokesman Won Tae-jae said last week.