Kidnapped hostages freed in Mexico

SEOUL, July 23 (UPI) -- Mexican police Wednesday secured the release of five Asians, who were held captive for nine days. Yonhap news agency, quoting South Korean officials, said four of the hostages are South Koreans and the fifth Chinese. China's official Xinhua news agency said all of them are South Koreans. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said in Seoul all the captives are safe in the custody of Mexican authorities, Yonhap reported. Mexican police found them in front of a hotel in the Mexican town of Reynosa, near the border with United States, shortly after getting a phone call from the kidnappers, who had earlier demanded ransom. "The Mexican police authorities have applied strong pressure after identifying the captors, which appears to have led the gangsters to release them," Lee Jeong-gwan said. The victims... [read full story]