Govt not responsible for death in Afghan hostage crisis in 2007

By Kim Tae-jong

The court Monday ruled that the government need not compensate the bereaved family of a victim who was held hostage and later killed by Taliban militants in Afghanistan in 2007.

The ruling came as the bereaved family of the dead filed a damages suit, claiming the government neglected its duty to protect and failed to save its citizen.

The deceased is one of 23 Christian volunteers belonging to Sammul Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.

They were kidnapped by the Taliban on July 19, 2007, while traveling on a bus in Ghazni Province. The extremists killed two men in the group but later released the rest.

In the ruling, the court said the government informed people of the instability and dangers of the Taliban and requested them to refrain from traveling in Afghanistan and it is therefore the volunteers that chose to face the predicament.

The court also said the government took immediate steps to free the hostages, citing President Lee Myung-bak appearing on CNN to ask for their safe release.