By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, May 13 (NNN-YONHAP) — The South Korean woman who was rescued from a hostage situation in western Africa had traveled to Mali before she was kidnapped, a country that the Seoul government has advised nationals to not go to or to leave, a foreign ministry official said Monday.

The Korean woman, in her 40s, was freed in an operation led by the French military in Burkina Faso last week after near monthlong captivity by an apparent militant group. She was safely transported to Paris on Saturday (Paris time) and arrangements are being made for her return at an early date.

A foreign ministry official said the victim had been traveling to conflict-prone nations in the African region as part of her round-the-world trip that began about 18 months ago.

She had visited Morocco, Senegal and Mali before arriving in Burkina Faso. She was said to be on her way to Benin when she was taken hostage, the official said.

“Objectively speaking, it is true that the victim passed through fairly dangerous areas,” the ministry official said.

Under South Korea’s four-level travel warning system, Mali and northern Burkina Faso have been designated “red alert,” meaning South Koreans are advised to not to go or to leave that place, largely due to political unrest.

She was taken hostage, along with an American woman, when the bus she was riding was ambushed by armed assailants, on April 12 (Africa time), according to an informed source. About 10 people were on the bus, but only the two were taken away.

The Seoul government will revise the travel warning system for risky regions in Africa and the Middle East as part of follow-up measures in the wake of the kidnapping. The ministry will soon impose a new travel warning for Benin.

South Korea and France are also pushing to sign a preliminary cooperation deal on crisis management by the end of this year, the official added.

“We will seek ways to enhance international cooperation with developed countries to that end,” the official said.

–NNN-YONHAP