The 2007 Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan began on July 19, 2007, when 23 Korean missionaries were captured and held hostage by members of the Taliban while passing through Ghazni Province of Afghanistan. Two male hostages were executed before the deal was reached between the Taliban and the South Korean government. The group, composed of sixteen women and seven men, was captured while traveling from Kandahar to Kabul by bus on a mission sponsored by the Saemmul Presbyterian Church. The crisis began when two local men, who the driver had allowed to board, started shooting to bring the bus to a halt. Over the next month, the hostages were kept in cellars and farmhouses and regularly moved in groups of three to four.
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Of the 23 hostages captured, two men, Bae Hyeong-gyu, a 42-year-old Korean pastor of Saemmul Church, and Shim Seong-min, a 29-year-old South Korean man, were executed on July 25 and July 30, respectively. Later, with negotiations making progress, two women, Kim Gyeong-ja and Kim Ji-na, were released on August 13 and the remaining 19 hostages on August 29 and August 30.
The release of the hostages was secured with a Korean promise to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2007. Although the Korean government offered no statement, a Taliban spokesman claimed that the militant group also received some US$20 million in exchange for the safety of the captured missionaries.
Negotiations
As Korea was already scheduled to withdraw its 200 troops by the end of the year, the Taliban's initial demand was only that they hold to this plan, but later also sought the release of 23 Taliban militants from prison. Korean representatives in Washington DC requested a meeting with Afghanistan Kidnap / Ransom experts from SCG International Risk on August 1. SCG then began advising the South Koreans on ways to resolve the crisis.
The Taliban issued and extended several deadlines for the release of the prisoners, after which they threatened to begin killing the hostages. Freedom for the militants was ruled out when it was apparent the Korean negotiators could not secure the release of Afghan prisoners, as Afghan president Hamid Karzai had previously faced criticism for freeing five rebel prisoners in exchange for an Italian hostage.
Face-to-face meetings between the Taliban and Korea began on August 10, resulting in the release of two female hostages, Kim Ji-na and Kim Gyeong-ja, on August 13. However, on August 18, a spokesman said that the talks had failed and the fates of the hostages were being considered.
Release
The freedom of the remaining nineteen hostages (fourteen women and five men) was secured on August 28 with the participation of Indonesia as a neutral Muslim country. They were eventually released on August 29 and August 30.
After the release, a Taliban official announced that Korea had paid the Taliban more than US$20 million in ransom for the lives of the hostages. However, Korea stated that they have made a promise with the Taliban that they would not make any statements about the ransom.
Response
Public gatherings were held in Korea during the capture to pray for the safety of the hostages. Muslims residing in Korea also expressed their grief regarding the incident and avow that the acts of the Taliban are against the principles of Islam. Many Koreans nevertheless held numerous protests and demonstrations outside the Seoul Central Mosque.
On the other hand, many Koreans were critical of the hostages, as the hostages were conducting Christian missionary service in Islamic Afghanistan despite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's repeated warnings that Taliban has plans to kidnap Koreans in order to free imprisoned militants.
Among these criticising the deal from the government as a dangerous precedent was the bishop of Taejon and chairman of Caritas Corea Lazarus You Heung-sik.