Seven South Korean missionaries who were recently kidnapped by armed Iraqi militants have returned home.

The Christian missionaries arrived at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning from Amman, Jordan via Bangkok.

Looking back upon their brief ordeal, the group said that although they were under great danger at the time of their abductions, they are now glad and relieved to have returned home safely.

They denied the New York Times report that said they had paid 30 thousand dollars to their captors for their release.

They also said that there were five to six additional Asian hostages taken by the Iraqi militants at the time of their detainment.

Last Thursday, eight South Korean missionaries had been stopped at a checkpoint en route from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad. One escaped while seven others were detained for about nine hours before being released unharmed.

The identities of the Iraqi insurgents are still unclear.