Body of Rev. Bae Arrives in Seoul
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The body of Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, who was killed last week by the Taliban in Afghanistan, arrived in Seoul Monday, but the memorial service will be suspended until the other hostages return safely, his family said.
The 42-year-old pastor of the Saemmul Community Church in Bundang, south of Seoul, was abducted on July 19 along with 22 other Koreans while offering volunteer services to help the poor in the Middle Eastern country. But he became the first victim of the Taliban on July 25, tragically on his birthday.
Bae's body arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 5 p.m. and was directly moved to Sam Medical Center in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Bae's family members stayed at the Saemmul church with other families of the abductees held in Afghanistan, praying for their safe release. ``We decided neither to see his body nor hold a memorial service until other hostages are freed,'' Bae's elder brother said during a news conference at the church earlier that day.
Bae's family originally wanted his body to come to Korea along with the other hostages after all of them were released safely. But as negotiations with the Taliban have been delayed, Bae's family agreed to the return of his body.
The prosecution conducted a postmortem examination at the medical center and decided to conduct an autopsy.
Bae's remains were to have been donated to the anatomy department of Seoul National University's medical college for study in accordance with his will, but were laid in state at the medical center. ``The plan has been changed as it was found that the remains were too severely damaged due to bullet holes and decomposition from the high temperature,'' an official of the Sam Medical Center said.
The Jeju Island native worked at a company after graduating from university but attended a theological college later, becoming a pastor in 2001.
He was one of the founding members of the Saemmul church in 1998, and was devoted to volunteer work. He is survived by his wife and nine-year-old daughter.