Libya Seeks $1 Bln to Settle Issue of Deported S.Korean

The Libyan government is requesting large monetary compensation for settling a dispute over a South Korean intelligence officer who was kicked out of Libya on charges of espionage. 

A government source said Wednesday that Libya requested more than one billion dollars to settle the issue when a delegation of South Korean government officials recently visited the North African nation. 

The source said South Korea and Libya are likely to face difficulties in recuperating their relationship in the event Seoul refuses Libya’s request. 

A Libyan weekly quoted a local government official as saying that the Libyan government made the request to the Korean government on the deported official and that Tripoli would review Korean firms’ activities in Libya and seek other measures if Seoul turns down Libya’s request. 

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said that Seoul agreed with Tripoli to swiftly settle the issue. 
The official of the National Intelligence Service who was sent to work at the South Korean Embassy in Libya was kicked out of the North African country on June 18th for alleged attempts to obtain information about key members of the Libyan government.