Missing child reunited with family

QUEENS (WABC) -- A mother was reunited with her young son Wednesday night.

The child was allegedly kidnapped and taken out of the country by his father. Now, the 7-year-old boy has been taken back by his mother.

She flew nearly 7,000 miles to Seoul, South Korea, to get him. They landed at JFK.

Eyewitness News reporter Tim Fleischer has the story.

Family members and supporters brought balloons and signs. It was a sight that had to be seen to be believed.

Seven-year-old Kobe Lee returned to the United States with his mother, Tiffany Rubin. He was hugged and kissed by family members, surrounded by his relatives.

"I thought I would never see him, to be honest with you," Rubin said.

Rubin claims that her ex-husband, Jeffrey Salko, abducted Kobe during a parental visit in August of 2007. He then took the child to South Korea.

Rubin, with the help of the NYPD and the FBI, found out their location. She then teamed up with American Association for Lost Children and went to South Korea with Mark Miller, the founder of the organization.

"We did surveillance all day Tuesday," Miller said. "And Wednesday, we found out where the child was going to school."

They tracked Kobe to the school, where mother and son were finally reunited.

"We got him at a school, and the embassy over there helped up so much," Rubin said. "They walked us on to the plane."

"We had to do the hard part to get the child to the embassy," Miller said. "And then their part was to help us get out of the country."

"We find children at no cost to the parents," Miller added. "We do all the investigative work, but then we're on our own to get out of the country. The embassy was a blessing."

Kobe was jumping around, having a great time with his cousins and, when asked what he was going to do now, said, "I really don't know."

Government sources say there is an outstanding arrest warrant for Salko on a charge of international parental kidnapping.

But now, Kobe is back in the arms of his loving family in Queens.

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