By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
As negotiations press forward for the release of 22 South Korean hostages held by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, the government is struggling to unveil just what the demands of the hard-line Islamic militant group really are.
In an interview with The Korea Times on July 27, Taliban spokesman Yousaf Ahmadi denied an earlier report that the group's demands are twofold _ asking for money from South Korea and the trade-off release of Taliban comrades from Afghan prisons.
Ahmadi made it clear that the Taliban do not want money for the release of the Korean hostages.
``They will be freed the moment the Afghan government and Korean team accept our demands,'' the spokesman said on the phone from an undisclosed location. ``We will not budge an inch from our demands regarding the release of prisoners.''
But a female hostage's plea for help released by the Taliban early last week indicated that the Taliban want ransom.
``We are in a very difficult time. Please help us,'' Lim Hyun-joo, a 32-year-old nurse, told the CBS broadcaster of the United States.
Speaking in Dari in the presence of her captors, she made an impassioned plea for actions from South Korea, including ransom.
``We are all pleading for you to help us get out of here as soon as possible. Really, we beg you,'' Lim said, switching to Korean.
Cho Hee-yong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, declined to confirm whether or not the Taliban's only demand was the release of prisoners, citing that possible negative influence may be skewering negotiations.
``At the moment, we don't want to confirm any reports concerning the Taliban's demands,'' Cho told The Korea Times. ``The Taliban are seemingly abusing worldwide media to get the upper hand in the hostage negotiation. We won't be cheated.''
The Taliban have set a series of deadlines for the Afghan government to agree to free rebel prisoners. The militants already shot dead Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, the leader of the kidnapped church group after a deal failed to materialize before the first deadline.
The 23 South Koreans _ 18 women and five men, were abducted on July 19 while traveling on a bus on the main highway south from Kabul in the province of Ghazni. The remaining 22 hostages are being held in small groups in different locations, according to the Taliban spokesman.
The group visited the war-torn nation to provide locals with medical and other volunteer aid.