S. Korea beefs up security in facilities abroad after Yemen attack

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- Alarmed by a suicide bomb attack in Yemen that killed four South Koreans, the South Korean government has instructed its diplomatic missions and other facilities abroad to bolster security measures, officials said Wednesday.

Seoul will also set up standing consultation channels with countries vulnerable
to terrorist threats, especially those in the Middle East, to share related
information, they added after an emergency working-level meeting to discuss ways
to better protect South Koreans abroad.
The meeting was presided over by Vice Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo.
Yemeni authorities notified South Korea on Tuesday night that al-Qaida is
responsible for Sunday's bomb attack in the historic city of Shibam, about 90km
east of the Yemeni capital, Sanna. The explosion killed four South Korean
tourists, including two women, who were on a group tour to the Arab country known
as a center of military activity by terrorist networks. The tourists' Yemeni
driver was also killed.
A dozen survivors returned to South Korea on Tuesday, with the bodies of the dead
expected to arrive here on Thursday.
"The government will also intensify multilateral cooperation with other nations
to counter terrorism," a foreign ministry official told reporters, briefing the
results of the meeting.
The government plans to launch a large-scale campaign to raise public awareness
on terrorism, he added.