S Korean gov´t convenes emergency meeting on U.S. campus shooting rampage

Source: Xinhuanet | 04-18-2007 09:25

SEOUL, April 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon convened an emergency meeting Tuesday night to discuss the U.S. campus shooting rampage after reports that a Korean citizen is suspected to kill more than 30 people in the incident.

There is no further details about the meeting. A senior official of the ministry said late Tuesday that the South Korean government expresses "undescribable surprise and shock" over the shooting and delivers console to the injured and the families of the victims of the incident.

The government and the South Korean embassy in U.S. was keepinga close contact over the issue and will take measures to protect South Koreans in the United State, the official said.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the suspect killing over 30 people in the rampage was identified as Cho Seung-hui, 23. Cho was a South Korean citizen and was a senior majoring in English literature at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. His family lives in Centerville, Virginia.

Cho is the suspect in two separate shootings that started early Monday morning, first at a dormitory and later in classrooms. He later killed himself; the motive is not yet known, Yonhap said.

Earlier in the afternoon, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech in the United States. Roh, who described it as "an unbelievable incident", expressed his hope for the wounded to quickly recover, said Roh's spokesman.

A gunman killed at least 32 people and injured some others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg early Monday morning (U.S. local time).

Editor:Du Xiaodan