September 14, 2006 (The Associated Press ) - SEOUL, South Korea A dozen Ethiopians sought political asylum in Seoul on Thursday while on a trip to mark the opening of a museum commemorating the African country's participation in the Korean War, a veterans' group said.
The asylum seekers left their hotel in central Seoul on Wednesday night and filed for asylum with the Korea Immigration Bureau on Thursday morning, the Korean Veterans' Association said in a statement.
The Justice Ministry couldn't immediately confirm the report.
They were among a total of 33 Ethiopians — including a nine-member folk troupe, 12 veterans and 12 children — who arrived Saturday in South Korea on an invitation from the veterans' group to mark the opening of the museum in Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) east of Seoul.
Six of the asylum seekers were members of the folk troupe and the others were children, the association said. Further details weren't available.
Ethiopia sent one infantry battalion to help South Korea repel invading communists from North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War and 122 of them were killed in action.
Source: Herald Tribune
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