By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The families of the four Korean sailors who were in captivity for more than five months in Somalia showed relief on notification of their release by phone call from the Federation of Korean Seafarers' Unions on Sunday.
``I'm extremely relieved to learn that my husband is coming back at last. I would like to thank the media and all those who supported and helped us during this trying time,'' said teary-eyed Kim Jeong-shim, wife of captain Han Seok-ho. KIm told media that when her husband called her last month, he said he had been beaten by the pirates and was only given a loaf of bread a day. ``I am worried about his health,'' she said.
Cho Tae-soon, wife of another hostage chief engineer Yang Chil-tae, said ``I hope I could see him right now. He said he had his teeth broken and has wounds everywhere.''
Despite the good news the families showed disapproval towards the government for its lukewarm attitude at the initial stage of the kidnapping. Some said initially the government took little notice of the hostage situation but became relatively active after domestic criticism arose, comparing this to the abductees in Afghanistan who were freed comparatively swiftly. Many people said that like the Afghanistan hostages the fishermen ought to have equally received the government's help.
Lee Suk-ja, aunt of hostage Lee Song-ryeol, also complained that Lee had lost an eardrum because of physical abuse and also suffered from malaria. ``It has taken too long. We depended on the government but I think its performance wasn't good enough,'' she said. ``He called me and asked me to rescue him as soon as possible, but all I could tell him to do was to wait,'' she said.
The families held a press conference on Monday in Busan, thanking the media and the general public for their attention and encouragement. Previously, they raised about 700 million won through a signing and fundraising campaign for the abductees.
The families and the seafarers' union are looking into the possibly of visiting Yemen, where the fishermen are expected to arrive on Thursday. Also some are planning to hold a welcoming ceremony for the returnees at Incheon International Airport.
Two South Korean fishing boats were seized by Somali pirates off the coast of the African country on May 15, while sailing from Kenya's port of Mombasa to Yemen. The Mavuno 1 and Mavuno 2, owned by Daechang Fishing Co., were manned by four South Koreans and 20 other Asian nationals.
Negotiations for their release were hampered by ransom demands and reports of heavy beatings. On Sunday night, the Korean government finally confirmed their release.