One Korean shot dead in Botswana

A Korean worker in Botswana was found shot dead and another was wounded early Sunday during what appears to have been an armed robbery.

The two dispatched workers were attacked in their temporary residence in Palapye, located 270 kilometers (168 miles) northeast of Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, at around 2 a.m., according to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An unidentified assailant appears to have attacked them while attempting to rob the house.

Both Koreans were male, but the ministry could not confirm their identities or ages.

One worker died from the gunshot wound. The other is being treated, but his exact condition is not yet known.

The workers are reported to have been participating in a project led by a Korean company in the African country.

This is the first known case of Korean nationals getting shot in Botswana, a landlocked country that gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Botswana has one of the most stable economies in Africa. It is the world’s second highest producer of diamonds after Russia and home to the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, over 25 percent, after Swaziland.

The Korean Embassy in South Africa, which oversees Botswana, immediately dispatched a consular assistant based in Botswana to the scene, said the ministry. It will also send an embassy official to the location to request a speedy investigation into the incident.

There are around 200 Koreans in Botswana. The city of Palapye has a population of around 41,000 people.

This is the latest shooting of a Korean national abroad, as on Saturday, a middle-aged Korean was shot dead by several unidentified armed men while driving in the Philippines in downtown Baguio.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]