South Korea urged Russia on Friday to take steps to prevent hate crimes against South Koreans in Russia, following the death of a Korean college student who was attacked there earlier this week.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said that Seoul voiced its concerns about the negative effect hate crimes could have on the relationship between the two countries to both the central and local governments of Russia.

The official also asked that preventative measures be devised.

An exchange student, identified by his surname Kang, was attacked by three Russian youths in the city of Barnaul on Monday evening. He was taken to a hospital but died on Thursday due to the injuries he sustained.