Kidnapped South Korean missionaries plead for help in heart-wrenching video
The two were seized by armed assailants from their home in Odda village, near the Kenya-Ethiopia border, on August 12, 2024.
Nine months after two South Korean missionaries were kidnapped in Moyale, Marsabit County, new video footage has surfaced showing them alive but visibly distressed in Somalia.
The clip, which was made public on Sunday, April 28, features missionary and humanitarian David Ian Lee alongside his mother-in-law, Hiwi Sokk Cheon.
According to reports, the two were seized by armed assailants from their home in Odda village, near the Kenya-Ethiopia border, on August 12, 2024.
In a tense three-minute video, a visibly distressed Lee made a heartfelt appeal to the South Korean government, urging immediate action to secure their release.
"These days have been long and filled with anxiety. We’re trapped in a perilous situation—helpless and afraid. We are innocent people caught in a conflict that we had no part in," Lee was quoted as saying by the Standard.
Meanwhile, Cheon sat silently next to him, clearly overwhelmed by fear.
Lee continued his plea: "Please don’t turn your backs on us. Time is of the essence. We beg you to act quickly and bring us home. Our lives and well-being are in serious danger."
Kenyan security officials suspect that the video—reportedly released by the Al-Shabaab militant group—is intended to push South Korean authorities into entering negotiations.
The kidnapping sparked a wide-ranging investigation last year, involving multiple security agencies.
So far, eight suspects have been apprehended, including six Ethiopian nationals. All remain in custody as the probe continues.
The South Korean embassy in Nairobi has not yet released an official statement in response to the video’s circulation.
Kenyan authorities have intensified security patrols along the border area in response to persistent concerns over militant activity spilling across the frontier.