S. Korea mulls timing of reopening embassy in Libya

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will soon send a team of diplomats to the Libyan capital of Tripoli to assess security conditions there as Seoul reviews the timing of reopening its embassy, a senior official said Wednesday.
Seoul temporarily closed its embassy in Tripoli in late May, and most staff have been moved to a Tunisian island amid escalating dangers from NATO air strikes against forces loyal to disputed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.



"We will soon send a team of diplomats to Tripoli, as early as this week, to prepare for reopening the embassy there," the foreign ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
"Our basic stance is that we plan to reopen the embassy as soon as possible," the official said.
The move came as Libyan rebel forces say they are closing in on Gadhafi after taking full control of Tripoli last week. This week, some of Gadhafi's family members fled Libya to Algeria, firm evidence that Gadhafi's 42-year iron-fist rule is coming to an end.
Still, the security situation in the capital remains unstable. Just recently, a gang of armed robbers looted the Korean embassy and the Korean ambassador's residence in Tripoli.
South Korea has officially recognized Libya's rebel-led council as the North African nation's legitimate government and pledged to provide humanitarian assistance to the rebel Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) and the Libyan people.
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will attend an international conference, to be held in Paris on Thursday, on the future of Libya.
"Minister Kim will explain at the conference the Korean government's plan to join international efforts to support Libya's reconstruction," ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae said.
"Furthermore, he will meet separately with the NTC delegates to the meeting to exchange views on ways to promote Korea-Libya relations," Cho said.
kdh@yna.co.kr