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Last-Ditch Efforts Required for Hostages Safe Return
The families of the 19 hostages and also all the people of South Korea heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the news that the Taliban agreed to set free the Koreans held in captivity for six weeks in Afghanistan. Although we lost two precious lives, it is consoling to know that the disconcerting situation will end with no more victims.
We hope that the government will wrap up the remaining procedures as soon as possible, so that the abductees can return home safely. The Taliban militants made the right decision, backing down on their earlier demands for a prisoner-hostage swap, while the Korean government did what it could to protect its people.
The abduction of 23 Korean Christian aid workers in a single case was the first-ever crisis of its kind that the nation had to experience. The large number of hostages caused confusion in the government in dealing with the problem.
However, the government's strenuous and diversified diplomatic efforts minimized the damage in this critical situation. Korean negotiators deserve kudos for effectively playing their role.
In that the Taliban had been stubborn in their demands for a prisoner-hostage swap from the start, the agreement on the release of the captives is a major diplomatic achievement for the Korean government.
There is no doubt that such a peaceful settlement would have been impossible without the full-fledged cooperation of the Kabul government, which had apparently been in deep agony between Seoul and the Taliban. The U.S.-led multinational forces' assistance must have been decisively helpful.
We also have to appreciate the helping hands of Islamic countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
Some imprudent people attempted to abuse the tragedy for their political propaganda of anti-Americanism, having insisted that Washington was responsible for the incident. The Christian volunteers' religious activities have also been a target of criticism at home, while it provoked antipathy against Islam.
However, many people did not pay attention to the negative aspects, and their concerted wish for the release of the hostages was the driving force in resolving the crisis.
The kidnapping case is an opportunity for all of us to think about the lessons learned. First of all, the Korean government had an unprecedented tete-a-tete with an unauthorized terrorist group, helping the Taliban emerge with enhanced political legitimacy as a result of a successful negotiation with a foreign government.
Although the Taliban did not achieve their stubborn demands for a prisoner swap, they certainly obtained a lot in terms of political credibility through their direct negotiations with a foreign government in their ``territory.''
We cannot rule out the possibility that the unprecedented case may become an element that impairs the international status of Korea in the future.
The incident has left a bitter wound that any volunteer activity abroad may inflict huge damage not only to individuals, but also to the nation unless the possible dangers in overseas service work is fully considered in advance.
It is needless to say that such an incident should never recur, and a comprehensive review of the unfortunate situation must be conducted in close cooperation with the countries concerned, particularly with the United States and Afghanistan.
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