Korean kidnapped in Peru rescued in one day...Kidnappers resist throwing grenades.

[Anchor]
A Korean kidnapped by a criminal gang in Peru, Latin America, was rescued by local police in a day.

These kidnappers violently resist by throwing grenades at the police. He was arrested, but the Korean Embassy in Jupiter urged him not to travel alone in security-secure areas.

Reporter Cho Yong-sung reports.

[Reporter]
The police open the vehicle door and search it with a flashlight.

Between the rear seat and the front seat lies a person with both hands bound by multiple layers of cable ties.

This is the scene where A, a Korean businessman in his 60s who was kidnapped from Lima, Peru, is rescued on the 25th local time.

It's been a day since I was kidnapped by a criminal organization.

A company employee called A, but when someone he didn't know answered, he reported to the police that there was a kidnapping situation.

Those who demanded a large ransom after kidnapping were caught by police siege while on the move, and one police officer was injured by throwing a grenade while violently resisting.

The Korean Embassy in Peru said that the lives of the victims were not compromised and that they were restoring stability.

Local media released the identities of the three arrested suspects in their mid-to-late 20s, and were found to belong to a Venezuelan-flagged criminal organization.

Peru was relatively stable in Latin America, but the crime rate has risen significantly since the coronavirus pandemic, citing worsening economic conditions.

The number of Peruvian kidnappings, which was close to 1,700 in 2020, exceeded 4,000 last year, and was released 19 days after a teenage Korean student was kidnapped by a gunman while going to school in 2011.

[Lim Soo-jin / Professor of Latin American Studies at Daegu Catholic University (NewsUP): In the past, Koreans had a very good image, but now there are also Venezuelan criminal organizations that do not understand such Asian people, so they should pay special attention to that.]

Local police believe there are more accomplices and are conducting further investigations, and the Korean Embassy in Jupiter urged people not to travel alone in security-stricken areas and to use taxis at night.

I'm YTN's Cho Yong Sung.

Video editing: Seo Young-mi
Screen source: SNS X Peruvian National Police Agency account