Reuters reported on Saturday that the group claimed in a statement on a website it killed several Kuwaiti soldiers, three U.S. soldiers and a Korean in a shootout. But in a follow-up report Reuters quoted a Kuwaiti security official as saying that one militant had been killed and only two Kuwaiti policemen hurt in a gun battle with members of an armed Islamic group.

In its first report Saturday, Reuters said, “An Internet statement from a previously unknown group -- Kuwait Mujahideen -- said the firefight broke out after its men attacked a base in Umm al-Haiman. It said militants killed several Kuwaiti soldiers, three U.S. troops and a Korean. The statement's authenticity could not be verified and officials were not available to comment.”

The Korean Foreign Ministry said it was trying to confirm the validity of the statement, but as of Sunday afternoon there were no confirmed Korean casualties.

“There are about 450 expatriate Koreans in Kuwait, 150 of whom are long-term residents, so it may take some time before we can confirm their whereabouts,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “Umm al-Haiman, where the incident took place, it not an area where Koreans usually go,” he added.

But the ministry upgraded its security advisory for travelers to Kuwait from “caution” to “warning,” advising Koreans there to be especially careful and encouraging travelers to consider if their visit to the country is necessary.

(Yeo Si-dong, sdyeo@chosun.com )