South Korea warned Monday that citizens who recently entered Iraq for missionary work could become terrorist targets.
Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck said the government has received specific intelligence reports about possible terror attacks on South Koreans in Iraq.
A South Korean anti-war protester who entered Iraq without the government's knowledge Saturday could be a victim, he said in a press conference. Lee again urged all South Koreans to stay out of Iraq.
"We have many specific and credible intelligence reports that say terrorist acts will be made against South Koreans when they enter Iraq for missionary purposes," he said. Some South Korean Christian groups have sent missionaries to Iraq.
Kim Sun-il, a 33-year-old Arabic interpreter and devout Christian who dreamed of missionary work in Iraq, was killed last month after Seoul rejected demands to stop deploying thousands of troops to Iraq.
The deployment of 3,600 troops will make South Korea the biggest coalition partner after the United States and Britain.