Bomb Blast Kills 4 Korean Tourists in Yemen

Four Korean tourists and their Yemeni guide have been killed by an explosion at a historical site in Yemen.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry and the Yemeni government yesterday said an unidentified bomb went off as 18 Korean tourists and their guide visited the ancient fortress city of Shibam in Yemen`s southeastern province of Hadramawt at 5:50 p.m. local time Sunday.

The explosion killed Ju Yong-cheol, 59; his wife Shin Hye-yun, 55; Park Bong-gan, 70; and Kim In-hye, 64.

The explosion also injured three Korean tourists, who were all taken to a hospital. Apart from the four dead victims, all the remaining Korean tourists were expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport this afternoon.

The cause of the blast is unclear. The Korean government raised the possibility of a terrorist attack targeting foreigners, but also said it could be an accident.

The ministry also sent an emergency team to Yemen while designating the Arab country a "travel restricted area," just one step away from a "travel ban area."

mungchii@donga.com spear@donga.com