South Korea expressed outrage after the Taliban killed a captive Korean pastor in Afghanistan, warning yesterday that those involved would be held responsible and renewing a call on the militant group to immediately release the remaining 22 hostages.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun spoke yesterday with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and they agreed to fully cooperate for the safety of the remaining South Korean captives and their quick release.
Earlier, chief presidential secretary for security affairs Baek Jong-chun said before departing as a high-level envoy to Afghanistan that the kidnappers "will be held accountable for taking the life of a Korean citizen." He also expressed "heartfelt condolences" to the bereaved family.
Body found:
The South Korean victim was found Wednesday with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in Ghazni province, the region where the group was seized July 19 while riding a bus, said Abdul Rahman, an Afghan police officer.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry identified the victim as 42-year-old Bae Hyung-kyu, who church officials said was killed on his birthday Wednesday.
"We hope the negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban go well," said Kim Kyung-ja, mother of hostage Lee Sun-young, who gathered with relatives at a relief agency in Seoul. "Please send our lovely children home."
The South Korean presidential secretary Baek said Seoul would not tolerate the Taliban's inhumane act, saying that "the killing of an innocent civilian cannot be justified under any circumstance or for any reason."
"We once again strongly urge them to promptly return home the Korean citizens taken hostage," Baek said.Meanwhile, some 50 anti-war activists held two separate protest rallies in downtown Seoul, demanding the U.S. and South Korea withdraw troops from Afghanistan, calling their military presence the "seed of the tragedy."
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