.jpg) Kim Man-bok, chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) watches the news conference of the 19 freed Korean hostages at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, along with an NIS agent (with sunglasses), who led the Korean delegation in face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan on the hostage release. / Korea Times |
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Kim Man-bok, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), was found to have led negotiations with the Taliban over the release of the captives in Afghanistan.
The spy chief’s public appearance in Kabul surprised many Koreans, stirring controversy.
Kim was captured on the cameras of several television networks at a Kabul hotel where the freed hostages stayed before returning home.
He even held an interview with Korean broadcasters. Thanks to that, the ``sunglass man’’ who announced the breakthrough deal with the Taliban on the hostages’ release was identified as an NIS agent.
Critics say it was inappropriate for the NIS chief to appear in public given any activities of the spy agency are required to be conducted in secrecy and the other party involved in the hostage negotiations was the Taliban, which the international community sees as a terrorist group.
NIS officials said Kim left for Afghanistan on Aug. 22 to oversee the hostage negotiations.
``I’m obliged to protect and save the lives of the Korean people,’’ Kim said on a plane from Dubai to Incheon International Airport along with the freed hostages. ``I decided to travel to Afghanistan to revive the deadlocked negotiations and speed up the decision-making process.’’
Some critics say Kim intentionally appeared in public in a bid to highlight his role and achievement in the hostage crisis, citing reports that the NIS head will run in a Busan district in the National Assembly elections next year.
The spy chief denied reports that the Taliban had agreed to free the 19 Korean hostages in return for a huge amount of ransom.
``I can say that (media speculation about a ransom trade) is not the case,’’ Kim said, when asked about news reports Seoul had paid at least $20 million for the lives of the Christian aid workers.
Kim’s remarks were ambiguous, but he declined to further comment on the issue.
Reuters reported late last week that Seoul paid Taliban rebels more than $20 million of ransom, quoting an unidentified Taliban leader.
``We got more than $20 million from them,’’ the commander was quoted as saying. ``With it, we will purchase arms, get our communication network renewed.’’
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trader Song Min-soon also denied paying a ransom.
``Such a thing has not been done,’’ Song told reporters upon arrival in Seoul Saturday after ending an eight-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
The minister said after ``looking into all the circumstances surrounding the abduction case,’’ the government will decide on compensation from the families of the hostages for costs linked to the six-week-long hostage crisis.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
