Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held talks with her Libyan counterpart in Seoul and discussed the issue of a South Korean national who was abducted by armed insurgents in Libya last July. 

Before the meeting on Monday with visiting Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Taha Siala, Kang expressed hope that the talks will serve to examine bilateral concerns and discuss cooperation.

Minister Siala said his government is working to secure the release of the South Korean hostage. 

He also said that South Korea is familiar with civil war more than any other country and gave high marks to the country’s achievements.

The minister also said he hopes that Korean firms can return to projects in Libya they had pursued in the past and also take part in new ones.

One South Korean and three Filipino engineers were kidnapped in an attack by an armed group on a water project site in western Libya on July sixth of last year and are still being held captive.