Turkish police are searching for a Korean teenager who went missing in a town bordering Syria recently and exchanged e-mails with the Islamist terror group ISIS.

The government here fears that the teenager, identified as Kim (18), slipped into Syria to join ISIS in the civil war there. Authorities here said Kim went to Turkey on Jan. 8 and was last spotted in a hotel in the southern town of Kilis bordering Syria.

The Turkish daily Milliyet reported on Saturday citing undisclosed sources that the Korean may have crossed the border with Syria and joined IS.

The radical Islamic group controls Syria and parts of Iraq and is blamed for particularly vicious acts of terrorism. ISIS has been recruiting young Muslims from around the world via social media.

Authorities here confirmed that Kim exchanged several e-mails with ISIS before leaving for Turkey. The contact is suspected of being a Korean with a foreign passport who may have lured the young man to the terror group.

On Kim's computer, authorities found pictures of suspected ISIS members brandishing assault rifles and holding up a flag representing the terror group. The computer also contained other folders with ISIS-related information.

One official here said, "We can't rule out a kidnapping, but judging from the evidence that has been found so far, Kim probably went to Turkey to join ISIS." Authorities are taking a closer look at Kim's computer and phone records to determine what he has been up to.

People close to Kim said he told his parents several times that he wanted to visit Turkey, and they agreed on condition that he was accompanied by a family friend with missionary experiences overseas.

Kim and the friend, a member of the same evangelical church identified by his surname Hong (45), headed straight to Kilis after arriving in Turkey. On Jan. 12, Hong telephoned the Korean Embassy in Turkey to tell them that Kim had gone missing. Kim's parents filed a missing person's report with police here on Jan. 15.

Kim left his hotel room with his luggage and has not contacted his family since. His mother said he was in touch by mail with a Turkish individual named Hassan and police are investigating that lead as well.

Kilis is a town with a population of 85,000 and the Foreign Ministry has issued an advisory warning people to refrain from visiting the area.

