SEOUL, April 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Eight South Koreans were seized by Iraqi insurgents in Iraq Thursday, and one escaped later, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

    "At present, South Korean Ambassador to Iraq Im Hong-jae is contacting the insurgents, and we are trying to confirm the situation of the South Koreans through our Iraqi Embassy and US troops there," said Shin Bong-kil, the spokesman of the South Korean Foreign Ministry in an emergency press conference.

    The incident took place on an expressway leading from Jordan into Iraq, 250 kilometers west of Baghdad, said Shin.

    The captured South Koreans are pastors from the Christian Council of South Korea.

    They are Huh Min-young, Lim Young-seok, Hong Gwang-cheon, Cho Jeong-hyon, Lee Myung-sook, Kim Pil-ja and Byun Kyong-ja. The one who escaped is Kim Sang-mi from the Seomoon Church in the South Korean port city of Incheon.

    Moreover, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency also quoted Kim Sang-mi as saying, "We were on the way from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad, in two passenger cars. Around one and half hours before our arrival in Baghdad, and we were seized by strangers."

    After arriving in Baghdad, Kim then reported the incident to the South Korean Embassy, said Shin Bong-kil.

    The incident came after two South Korean people were detained by Iraqi Shiite militia members on Monday. The two were released on Tuesday.

    The South Korean government has decided to send some additional3,000 troops to Iraq around June. But a series of incidents involving South Koreans and deteriorated security situation in Iraq have aroused serious concern locally. Enditem