By Yoon Won-sup, Jung Sung-ki, Emal Pashtunyar in Kabul
Staff Reporters
KABUL _ Taliban militants Thursday released the last seven Korean hostages _ three men and four women _ whom they had been holding in Afghanistan since July 19, in groups of four and three, ending a 43-day hostage crisis.
``We released the seven remaining hostages,'' Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi told The Korea Times. ``They are in good health.''
The men are Song Byung-woo, 34; Seo Kyung-seok, 27; and Jae Chang-hee, 38; and the women are Lee Sung-eun, 24; Lee Young-kyung, 22; Kim Yun-young, 35; and Park Hye-young, 34.
The militants freed 12 hostages in Ghazni Province Wednesday in three batches of three, five and four, following Tuesday's agreement with Korean officials to release all the captives. Under the deal, Korea reaffirmed a pledge to withdraw 210 non-combatant troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year _ as previously planned _ and agreed to prevent any evangelical activities in the Central Asian nation by Korean churches.
All the 19 freed hostages will be transported together to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, after brief medical checkups at a nearby U.S. military base.
The hostages are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport on Saturday, according officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. They will be subsequently hospitalized at the Severance Hospital in Seoul for further medical checkups.
In Seoul, the Saemmul Church said that it will bear full responsibility for any expenditure incurred by the government for the release of the 21 hostages.
The chief pastor said the church will pay for their plane tickets; the return of the remains of two hostages killed by the Taliban; all medical treatment costs; and any other money used in negotiations. The hostages were all members of the Bundang-based church, which sent them as a volunteer aid group to Afghanistan.
The commitment was made after the government announced that it would seek compensation from the church as all costs linked to the hostage crisis were covered by taxpayers' money.
This is the first time for the government to seek compensation from any organization in Korea for freeing hostages.
Rumors are circulating that the government probably paid a substantial ransom for the freedom of the hostages. However, both Seoul and the Tabliban denied this was the case. Earlier reports said the militant group was demanding $500,000 per hostage.
The 21 were part of a group of 23 Christian volunteers mostly in their 20s and 30s who went to Afghanistan on July 13 to offer volunteer medical services. They were kidnapped by the Taliban on July 19 while traveling on a bus in Ghazni Province. The extremists later killed two men in the group, before freeing two female hostages who were reportedly ill.
The government will discuss the details of recompense with church at a later date.
``Now our focus is on the safe return of all the hostages,'' a ministry official said. ``But after the hostages return home, we will deal with the indemnity issue.''
yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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