S Korean firms shut up shop in Iraq
AFP, Seoul
South Korean firms have been pulling out of Iraq for months due to the deteriorating security situation there, but some 22 Korean businessmen were still there last week, according to government officials here. On Wednesday South Korea's National Security Council ordered all non-essential Koran nationals to evacuate the country following the beheading of civilian Kim Sun-Il by Islamic militants. The foreign ministry said it was unwilling to release names of the companies for reasons of security, but said most of them were engaged in work involving US-led coalition forces. Kim, 33, worked for one of these companies, Gana General Trading Co., as an interpreter. The firm supplied the US military with food and equipment and employed 12 people prior to Kim's abduction. Other South Korean firms operating in Iraq include Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., which had some eight employees in the Iraqi capital until recent weeks, according to industry sources.
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