A South Korean teenager who went missing in Turkey near the Syrian border had images of what appeared to be Islamic State militants on his home computer, the police said on Monday. It is thought he may have joined the group.

The 18-year-old, identified only by his surname, Kim, went missing on Jan 10 during a trip to Kilis in southern Turkey and was last seen leaving a hotel.

The Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported earlier that he had exchanged e-mails with members of the Islamic State group and probably crossed into Syria to join them.