The Board of Audit and Inspection has summoned the elder brother of Kim Chun-ho, the former employer of late South Korean hostage Kim Sun-il. Investigators questioned Kim Bi-ho on the circumstances surrounding the slain man's abduction in Iraq.

Kim told reporters prior to questioning by state auditors Tuesday that his younger brother had informed him on June 5th of Kim Sun-il's disappearance.

Kim said his brother did not notify the Seoul government of the employee's disappearance, as he was not aware of the gravity of the situation at the time.

Kim said negotiations for the release of the South Korean hostage took a turn for the worse following Seoul's announced decision to dispatch additional troops to Iraq, which came just after Arab satellite TV broadcast the news of the South Korean's abduction.