The Seoul government said Friday that it is examining whether any South Korean nationals are being held hostage in a hotel in the capital of Mali that was seized by unidentified gunmen.

A group of attackers have occupied a luxury hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako, with about 170 taken hostage.

"We are checking the safety of every South Korean resident in Mali and identifying whether or not there are any nationals detained in the hotel," an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yonhap News Agency.

The ministry said there are 20 South Koreans living in Mali, with some of them serving the government-led Economic Development Cooperation Fund operations.

The South Korean embassy to Senegal is in charge of diplomatic and consular affairs in Mali.

(Yonhap)