South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan ends

After the brutal murder of two male captives, the South Korean government reached a deal with the Taliban to free the rest. Two women were released on August 13. On August 28, after more than 40 days of painful waiting by family and friends, the Taliban announced the remaining 19 would be freed in return for guarantees that South Korean troops would be removed from Afghanistan and further Christian missionaries would be barred.

For South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, the capture of the missionaries travelling by bus from Kabul to Kandahar created an immediate crisis. He was desperate to quell domestic resentment and sympathy for the hostages and their families. Public anger had already flared in 2004 over the capture and beheading of a South Korean translator in Iraq. In February this year, a South Korean soldier died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan—the first overseas military death since South Korea’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

The Roh government and sections of the South Korean media attempted to deflect attention by blaming the hostages themselves and their associated churches for the tragedy. The nation’s largest daily Chosun Ilbo declared: “All of this happened simply because some young Koreans travelled to Afghanistan totally unprepared and ended up getting kidnapped.” JoongAng Ilbo commented: “This crisis raised grave questions about the divide between the country’s responsibility and the responsibility of the individuals.”

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