Protesters opposing the construction of a South Korean steel plant in eastern India briefly abducted three South Koreans and an Indian who worked for the company, police said Saturday. South Korean steel major POSCO is setting up a US$12 billion (¤8.47 billion) steel project near Jagatsinghpur, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state. But the project has faced opposition from groups who say that the government sold mining rights too cheaply to the South Korean company, and that the export-oriented plant would bring few local benefits. The protesters responsible for the abductions belonged to «POSCO Pratirodh Manch,» an organization strongly opposed to the project, said R.N. Patra, the superintendent of police. «Four employees of the POSCO, including three South Koreans, were kidnapped by the local villagers while they (those kidnapped) were conducting a survey near the site of the proposed mega steel project,» Patra told The Associated Press. Patra did not give the names of the four abducted employees, but said they were freed four hours later.
